LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Every language carries history, identity and culture.
On Saturday, the City of Las Vegas is hosting an event to celebrate culture and language from across the world.
Across the world, many indigenous languages are disappearing, but here in the Las Vegas Valley, the Federación Hidalguense and the City of Las Vegas are coming together to change that.
Celebrating International Mother Language Day aims to preserve and honor these languages.
For centuries, language has been a bridge between generations – carrying the wisdom of ancestors and the essence of a culture. But for many, indigenous communities that bridge is breaking.
“Many of us grew up speaking languages,” said President of the Federación Hidalguense Las Vegas, Isidro Maqueda Martin, in Spanish. “But we’ve seen them start to disappear, some are afraid to speak them, others never learned them because their parents believed Spanish or English would give them better opportunities.”
Martin says across the world entire languages have been lost – sometimes because of time but often because of discrimination. Many children of indigenous parents don’t learn the language, not because they don’t want to, but because society tells them it has no value.
“They’re scared or embarrassed so people should not be fearful to speak these languages, we have to fight and teach our children.”
International Mother Language Day was created as a response to this loss back in 1999. Now, the City of Las Vegas is getting ready to celebrate with a cultural event on Saturday.
“There’s really a focus and an emphasis on education and the languages of our community. So, you can expect to see a variety of poems, songs, dances, all highlighting indigenous languages,” said community engagement officer for the city of Las Vegas, Ramiro Reyes.
Reyes tells us the City of Las Vegas is home to many cultures and this event is all about coming together not just to celebrate these languages but to preserve them.
“This is one of my favorite events as community engagement officer. This is really a beautiful event,” Reyes said.
The event is completely free to the community and will be held from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sammy Davis Junior Festival Plaza inside Lorenzi Park.
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