The Saipan Bangladesh Cultural Group led by Rakibul Islam Mintu presented musical numbers, songs and poetry readings.
Rabby Syed, who is also the United Workers Movement president, expressed his deep commitment to give importance to the languages spoken by different ethnic groups on island.
He narrated how the Bengali language was recognized and become the official language of Bangladesh, formerly known as East Pakistan.
Guest speaker National Park Ranger Nancy Kelchner also noted the importance of protecting and preserving national languages.
She talked about the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s mandate to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by different individuals in the world.
She said International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity.
“Language is extremely important in a diverse community especially on Saipan,” she said.
UNESCO designated Feb. 21 as International Mother Language Day.
It originated as the international recognition of Language Movement Day, which has been commemorated in Bangladesh since 1952, when a number of University of Dhaka students were killed by the Pakistani police and army in Dhaka during Bengali Language Movement protests.
