Four Manchester libraries will host events to celebrate the city’s linguistic and cultural diversity, on International Mother Language Day this half term.
Free activities and performances for people of all ages take place on Wednesday 21 February at Central, Longsight, North City and Wythenshawe Forum Library.
Music and dance performances, art and writing activities, calligraphy and folk stories are all part of the rich mix on offer.
Highlights include a performance from Creole singer Papa Sam Alafia at Forum Library (3pm, events running from 10am – 4.45pm), while Portuguese drumming and Indian dance sessions will be held at North City Library (2 – 4pm). This musical activity will be aimed at children aged 6-11 years, with instruments provided to allow younger children to join in.
At Central Library, visit the story tent, where you can listen to folk tales and stories in different languages from local residents, or hear beautiful traditional music at the African-inspired hair decoration workshop (1-3pm).
At Longsight Library, activities include dancing and poetry performed by children from the Greater Manchester Bengali Association’s Saturday School, plus storytelling, art and Arabic calligraphy (2-4pm).
In December 2017, Manchester was granted UNESCO City of Literature status and joined a global network of cities dedicated to pursuing excellence in literature – engaging as many citizens as possible in a dynamic culture of words and encouraging the creation and sharing of stories.
Creative Tourist also has a great list of more UNESCO International Mother Language Day events across Greater Manchester.