The programme of the European Day of Languages in Egypt was announced in a press conference on 22 September at the Cervantes Institute (Spanish Culture Centre) in Dokki. Present were the Cervantes culture activities director Miguel Pedrosa, and Jakub Chabr from the Czech Centres, and representatives of other participating countries.  

Scheduled for 26 September 2024 at Cervantes, the event is co-organised by Cervantes Institute, the Czech Centres and the Embassy of the Czech Republic, the Greek Cultural Centre and the Embassy of Greece, the Goethe-Institute Cairo, the Embassy of France, the Embassy of Poland, the Embassy of Slovenia, the Embassy of Switzerland, the Embassy of Sweden and the Embassy of Ukraine. It is taking place under the auspices of EUNIC Egypt.  

Since its establishment in 2001, the European Day of Languages has been celebrated regularly in Europe and elsewhere. This year, embassies and cultural institutes representing 11 European countries have decided to celebrate the day in Egypt, offering Cairo’s public the opportunity to experience the linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe first-hand, in line with the EU motto “Unity in Diversity”.

The event aims to raise awareness of the rich variety of languages spoken across Europe and in Egypt, and to highlight the benefits of language learning as a powerful tool for intercultural understanding and dialogue. Participants will engage in a series of educational and interactive activities designed to showcase the advantages of multilingualism for both personal and professional development. The programme will also feature a slam poetry night, with live performances by four poets from Czechia and four from Egypt. In a dynamic format, the audience will have the opportunity to vote for the best performances, adding an interactive element to the experience. The event will be hosted by actress and poet Shaza Moharram.

The timetable of activities offers a morning programme from 10:00am to 2:00pm, tailored to high school students aged 15-18. The organisers estimate that 10 schools and 350-400 students will participate. In the classrooms at the Cervantes Institute, groups of students will have the opportunity to learn the very basics of the languages in a “class zero” lessons format, the belief of the organisers being that this experience may help guide further language education.

The afternoon programme for the public will start from 5:00pm and last till 10:00pm. There will be a well-marked and visible information stand on site from 5:00pm to 7:30pm, where visitors can find accurate information about the upcoming programme. There will also be several activities for visitors taking place both indoors and outdoors, including the cultural stations of participating European countries, with varied activities at each station.  Competitions will include a “Get to know Europe” quiz, word matching, listening activity, and Arabic words in European languages. The announcement of the winners of the competitions will start at 7:45pm.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 26 September, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly