International Mother Language Day is a worldwide annual observance held on 21st February.
The theme of the 2021 International Mother Language Day, “Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education and society,” acknowledges that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion, and the Sustainable Development Goals’ focus on leaving no one behind. UNESCO believes education, based on the first language or mother tongue, must begin from the early years as early childhood care and education is the foundation of learning.
Young Dawoodi Bohra children learning Lisaan ud-Da’wat across the UK
The Dawoodi Bohras have their own language called the Lisan al-Dawa, which is derived from Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Gujarati. This language was developed when the mission first came to Gujarat through missionaries from the Fatimi Empire about a thousand years ago.