Multilingual celebrations

Communities from all over the world who have made their home in Liverpool are getting together to celebrate their languages and cultures.

They are staging a special community day at Broadgreen International School on Saturday 29 September as part of the International Day of Language.

The day highlights the importance of language and the rich and diverse cultures which lies behind each of the 6000 languages spoken in the world.

Liverpool’s Network of Supplementary Schools is staging the community day, which will be opened by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Sharon Sullivan.

About 10 supplementary schools, in which communities provide extra educational opportunities for their children, operate in the city usually on Saturday or Sunday. They engage children from nursery age to GSCE level and operate on a voluntary basis. As well as their educational value they are a way of preserving the cultural heritage of communities.

The Arabic, Greek, Polish, Iranian, Somali, Libyan Yemeni, Finnish and Chinese communities among others will be represented at the community day. It is expected that about 150 people will attend.

It will feature singing, dancing, national dress and food from the various communities.

“It is going to be a very colourful and exciting event, “said Councillor Sullivan. “It will sound like the United Nations with so many languages being spoken! There are more than 90 different languages spoken in our schools.

“Language is vitally important for any communities, not only as a way of integration, but also as a way of preserving the culture of the countries of origin.

“Liverpool is a global city which should celebrate its diversity and this day will be a great way of doing that.”

Liverpool Waterfront