By IANS,
Malappuram (Kerala) : The Fiesta Arabia campaign organised by Ma’din Academy, a registered society working for the education and upliftment of the poor in the community, began Sunday in this Kerala city.
The event is being held at this time to coincide with December 18, which three years ago was declared World Arabic Language Day by Unesco.
The UN declaration came as an attempt to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity, and promote equal use of all six of Unesco official working languages: Spanish, Russian, French, English, Chinese and Arabic.
Malappuram, where the academy is located, is about 350 km from the Kerala capital.
Of the event, Sayyid Bukhari, chairman of Ma’din Academy, said: “The programme aims at celebrating the cultural and literary tradition of the Arabic language as well as promoting the awareness of Arabic language across the nation. The event will also examine the influence of Arabic on other languages and various civilizations.”
The academy was established in 1997, and is among the fastest growing educational institutions in Kerala, with more than 15,000 students and 25 educational and charity ventures.
M. Abdul Salam, vice chancellor of the University of Calicut inaugurated the event, which will end Wednesday.
“Language reveals the true nature of any society. Language reflects to the world what the society from which it springs is about,” Salam said.
“As an international medium of communication, Arabic has a great role in keeping people united. It has contributed significantly to peaceful co-existence in our beloved country,” he said.