Basque experts at the International Year of Indigenous Languages Perspectives Conference

2019 marks UNESCO’S International Year of Indigenous Languages and, consequently, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA, is organising an International Conference. The event, to be held from October 30 to November 2, will welcome numerous experts from different parts of the world to talk about the challenges indigenous languages are facing today.

2019 marks UNESCO’S International Year of Indigenous Languages and, consequently, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA, is organising an International Conference. The event, to be held from October 30 to November 2, will welcome numerous experts from different parts of the world to talk about the challenges indigenous languages are facing today.

The conference will include a wide range of events over four full days. Among them, on October 31, for example, there will be a presentation by Ane Ortega, Arkaitz Zarraga and Andoni Barreña on their work with the Nasa people in Colombia to revitalise the Yuwe language:  Creating networks and partnerships for indigenous language revitalization: the Nasa-Basque experience”. On November 1, Amaia Gabantxo will talk about the translation of Basque poetry entitled “From the Square to the Page, and onto the other Page: The Order of Things in Basque Poetry in Translation”.

This Conference is an inclusive event with a focus on celebrating indigenous languages and bringing indigenous perspectives to the forefront. It will include the following themes: community achievements and indigenous languages; community collaborations and partnerships; educational policy for language revitalization and maintenance; indigenous languages into the 21st century; indigenous voices in popular culture (e.g. social media, fiction, poetry, film, hip hop); and indigenous languages and multilingualism.