![dove containing the word Peace in many languages](http://www.uwindsor.ca/dailynews/ctl/sites/uwindsor.ca.dailynews/files/styles/full/public/900_motherlangday.jpg?itok=ceiv2CUF)
UWindsor students are among the celebrants who will gather at Mackenzie Hall on Friday, March 4, in observance of International Mother Language Day. The annual event promotes awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
The Bangladesh-Canada Association, Windsor-Essex hosts the International Mother Language Festival as a cultural showcase in association with the Aboriginal Education Centre, the South Asian Centre of Windsor, the Chinese Association of Greater Windsor, and the India Canada Association.
The Odette School of Business is sponsoring 50 faculty, staff, and Master of Management students — predominantly international students representing China, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ghana, Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan — to attend. An anonymous donor has sponsored attendance by an additional 30 Bangladeshi students.
The program will include:
- a show of flags and placards by UWindsor students;
- traditional music and songs by Indigenous drummers;
- song and dance performances from China, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan;
- a welcoming address by Myrna Kicknosway, elder in residence at the Faculty of Law;
- a land acknowledgment in Anishinaabemowin by law student David Pitawanakwat; and
- remarks on equity, diversity, inclusion, Indigenization, and mother tongues by officials of local government, ethnic organizations, and the University.
The festival will also feature ethnic food served by the host organization. The Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre is located at 3277 Sandwich Street.