The International Mother Language Day, proclaimed 27 years ago by the UNESCO General Assembly, is being marked today throughout the world.

This date reminds us repeatedly of how important it is to point out the beauty and importance of the Serbian language that it has had throughout history to this day. On this occasion, the Faculty of Philology of Banja Luka University and the Museum of the Republic of Srpska organized The Heart Writes in Cyrillic, an exhibition of the most successful works of Cyrillic calligraphy.

Our most beautiful literary works, which have testified to the spiritual and cultural rise of Serbs throughout the centuries, are written in Cyrillic, the original script of the Serbian people. For Serbian people, the mother tongue is one of the strongest symbols of national identity and historical continuity, and therefore we must preserve it and leave it to posterity. – We have gathered here to celebrate the language, to preserve the tradition, to pass it on from generation to generation because that is our task. Isidora Sekulić said it beautifully, man is language, in order to write, think and even remain silent, one needs language, therefore our task is to preserve it and use it properly – said Marija Vasić, professor of Serbian language and literature.

The Serbian language and Cyrillic are a common roof for all Serbs wherever they live. Preserving the mother tongue is not only a matter of communication, but also of our identity, history, present and future. – And what we are doing today through intergenerational connections among the youngest, even our young students, their parents, we are preserving the Cyrillic alphabet, preserving the Serbian language and trying to give it the importance a language should have in society, especially the mother tongue – said Biljana Babić, Dean of the Faculty of Philology of Banja Luka University.

The Heart Writes in Cyrillic exhibition of the most successful works of Cyrillic calligraphy was opened at the Faculty of Philology, and the author of the project is Tamara Lukač Lazarević from the Museum of Srpska. – In addition to the exhibition, a rich cultural and artistic program was prepared featuring different generations, which send a message that the most important thing is to preserve and pass on to future generations the achievements of culture and civilization, such as language and script – said Lukač. The celebration of 21 February, International Mother Language Day, is not just a formality, but a call to responsibility, to never forget who we are and in what language the pages of our glorious history are written.

Source and photo: RTRS