Dubai
As a responsible resident of the UAE, I believe we should all make an effort to learn the local language, Arabic, in order to understand the culture and heritage of the great nation that we live in. So, a team of students thought of catalysing the process with our humble initiative that aimed at helping the people in our community learn a few phrases in Arabic. We organised this activity on the World Arabic Language Day, December 18.
This day is meant to recognise and acknowledge the contribution of the language in fostering ties between different cultures and in the development of science, medicine, mathematics and literature through the ages.
In our initiative to motivate people to learn Arabic, we first interacted with the people in our community, who hail from different countries. We appraised them about this special day, encouraging them to try and learn a few common phrases in Arabic. People appreciated our efforts and acknowledged the importance of knowing the language. We also handed out a printed page containing the basic expressions for their reference.
Afzal Khan, a student based in Dubai, who participated in the event, said: “It was a memorable experience, spreading awareness about the Arabic language. It felt very surreal talking about Arabic after learning the language from our teachers. We were encouraged by the incredible response we received and look forward to continue to make a difference.”
Let’s all be a part of such wonderful initiatives to promote the cultural and linguistic diversity of the world.
— The reader is a student based in Dubai.
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