Undervalued Languages and Cultures

Yosef comes from a language and culture not respected in his country and therefore he is unable to work in the capital city. He fears that his people will be forced to assimilate into the predominant culture and his language, culture, and identity will soon be forgotten.

ILAD believes that all languages and cultures are valuable. We are committed to language development and bridging the gap between minority cultures and global society. Research shows that “Spoken language is the primary means of human communication. Both, individual and community memories, ideas, major events, practices, and lessons learned are all preserved and transmitted through language. Furthermore, language is not only a communication tool, but fundamental to cultural identity and empowerment.”