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Deusdedit Ruhangariyo
Special to ICT
Around the world: A Uyghur professor jailed for his support of the Uyghur people draws Nobel Prize nomination, a Canadian university offers a new Nisga’a language degree program, and a new service in Western Australia helps Aborigines learn their family histories.
CHINA: Uyghur academic nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
High-level officials and experts across the world have nominated jailed Uyghur academic and blogger Ilham Tohti for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role as “the true symbol of the Uyghur people’s fight for freedom” under Chinese rule in Xinjiang, Radio Free Asia reported on Dec. 11.
The nomination includes signatures from ministers, parliamentarians, university rectors and professors from countries including Canada, Japan, Rwanda, Australia, Paraguay, Turkey and France – a “broad international coalition” that supporters said could bolster Tohti’s chances at winning the award.
“At a time when the U.N. is denouncing ‘crimes against humanity’ in Xinjiang, it is our duty to break the silence towards Xi Jinping’s totalitarian regime and support the true symbol of the Uyghur people’s fight for freedom,” according to a statement released by leaders of the initiative, Vanessa Frangville of the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, and Belgian Member of Parliament Samuel Cogolati.
The nomination came just days after the anniversary of a Dec. 9, 2021, ruling by an independent Uyghur Tribunal – composed of international legal experts, scholars, and non-governmental organization representatives – that China has perpetrated genocide against the Uyghur people.
Tohti, 53, has been an outspoken economics professor who regularly highlighted the religious and cultural persecution of the mostly Muslim Uyghur ethnic minority in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
He was sentenced to life in prison on Sept. 23, 2014, following a two-day show trial on charges of promoting separatism. The court decision cited Tohti’s criticism of Beijing’s ethnic policies, his interviews with overseas media outlets, and his work founding and running the Chinese-language website Uighurbiz.net, which was shut down by Chinese authorities in 2014.
Tohti was shortlisted for the Peace Prize in 2020 and 2023.
CANADA: University offers new Nisga’a language degree
The University of Northern British Columbia is introducing a groundbreaking new degree on the Nisga’a language in partnership with the Wilp Wilxo’oskwhl Nisga’a Institute, CBC News reported on Dec. 18.
The four-year bachelor’s degree program, which will start in September 2024, is the first of its kind in the region and is aimed at securing the vitality of the Nisga’a language, CBC News reported.
Deanna Nyce, the institute’s chief executive, said the program will help students achieve fluency and use their language skills in public while maintaining the vitality of the language. About 70 percent of the courses will feature Nisga’a language components.
The Nisga’a people, residing in the Nass Valley in the province’s northwestern region, were pioneers in signing a modern treaty in British Columbia that became effective in May 2000.
The program partner, the Wilp Wilxo’oskwhl Nisga’a Institute, is a higher education institute operated by the Nisga’a Lisims government.
AUSTRALIA: Opening doors to Aboriginal family histories
Aboriginal people in Western Australia will be able to learn more about their heritage through a new program that provides access to ancestry information and research services at the State Library in Perth, National Indigenous Times reported on Dec. 15.
Aboriginal History Western Australia set up the dedicated client space at the library to provide Indigenous individuals with access to elusive records that can help build comprehensive genealogies.
The program, housed within the Department of Local Government, is a pivotal component of a collaboration among the history organization, the state library, and the State Records Office to establish a hub for Aboriginal individuals seeking personal and family history.
Dr. Tony Buti, Western Australia’s Aboriginal Affairs Minister, said the new service complements existing offerings for Aboriginal communities in the state.
“The Aboriginal History WA team is doing some remarkable work to assist in truth-telling, and its new face-to-face client space is an important addition to the services available,” Buti said, according to National Indigenous Times.
“AHWA’s new service space is a welcoming area for Aboriginal people to come and have a yarn, and to learn more about their ancestors and previously untold stories from the past.”
The initiative is part of the history organization’s truth-telling efforts, which includes the unveiling of searchable family history databases on the AHWA website.
Located on Level 3 of the State Library in the Perth Cultural Centre, the service desk showcases original artwork, “Boodja Wangkinyby,” by renowned Noongar artists Peter Farmer Jr., Kayley Emery, and Jason Hirst. The artwork depicts the six Noongar seasons, National Indigenous Times reported.
My final thoughts
My final thoughts are with the University of Northern British Columbia, where officials are launching a new degree program in a local Indigenous language. I applaud the university administration for this important decision and call upon more universities to emulate it.
I have personally benefited from studying my local language. There are many reasons to preserve a local language, but here are three that I consider particularly important:
*Cultural heritage: Local languages are a fundamental part of a community’s cultural heritage. They carry the history, traditions, values, and identity of a group of people. Preserving the language helps maintain a connection to the past and ensures that future generations can learn about their cultural roots.
*Communication within the community: Local languages often serve as the primary means of communication within a community. They are essential for effective interpersonal communication, storytelling, passing down oral traditions, and maintaining a sense of unity among community members. Preserving the language ensures that people can communicate effectively within their community.
*Linguistic diversity: Language diversity is a crucial aspect of global linguistic heritage. Each language represents a unique way of thinking and viewing the world. When a local language is preserved, it contributes to the overall linguistic diversity of the world, enriching our understanding of human language and culture.
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