Protection of ethnic minorities’ language, culture demanded

Rights activists, academics, researchers and ethnic minority group leaders on Sunday demanded government initiatives to protect the language and culture of ethnic minorities.
Practice of ethnic minorities’ culture and languages was on the decline gradually leading them to the verge of extinction, they told a seminar in the city.
Association for Land Reform and development organised the national seminar on ‘Practice of ethnic minorities’ language-culture in Bangladesh: Crisis and Way Out’.
Mathrua Bikash Tripura, executive director of Zabarang Kalyan Samity, Khagrachari in his key-note speech presentation said, ‘Most of the ethnic minorities in Bangladesh are marginalised in terms of socio-economic and political context. Many ethnic languages are at risk of extinction.’
‘Only six people talking in Remingtacha language. The enriched language and culture will end after the death of them,’ he added.
He also said that people were also shaming their language in every place including educational institutions.
‘Holud ceremony is included in the ethnic marriage ceremony following modern culture instead of traditional culture,’ he said, adding that many children are forgetting mother tongue due to the surrounding environment and many educated ethnic minority people talk in English and Bangla instead of their mother tongue.
Speaking virtually as chief guest, Workers Party of Bangladesh president and former minister of Awami League-led alliance government Rashed Khan Menon said, ‘We have made the International Mother Language Institute to work on different languages in the world. I do not know whether they have done significant works
on our ethnic languages.’
He said that enacting laws alone would not work to solve the crises if the laws were not implemented beside constitutional recognition to their identities.
Presiding over the seminar, ALRD chairperson Khushi Kabir urged not to bankrupt the ethnic minority people through grabbing their land and force them to flee to other places.
She said that people should recognise and respect them what they deserved.
Dhaka University mass communication and journalism department professor Robaet Ferdous, Bangladesh Adivasi Forum General Secretary Sanjeeb Drong, Poet and journalist Sohrab Hossain and Women ethnic minority leader from southern Bangladesh Myentthein Promila, among others, spoke at the event.