EUNIC celebration to showcase diversity of European culture

AMMAN — The European Union in Jordan and the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) will celebrate the European Day of Languages on Saturday, October 2, from 12PM until 8PM.

It will be celebrated in cooperation with the participating member states’ embassies and cultural centres and in “a strategic partnership '' with The Boulevard to encourage language learning and showcase the diversity of European culture to the Jordanian community, according to a EUNIC statement. 

The event will be free-of-charge.

Visitors will take part in several activities suitable for all ages, including “mini” language classes, short film screenings, dance and art classes.

Safety measures will be applied during the event to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Facemasks are mandatory for all attendees and only a limited number of people will be able to partake in each activity during any given time slot.

Volunteers will also ask visitors to use sanitising stations before and after each activity, said the statement.

The event is held in cooperation with 11 EUNIC members including: The Embassies of Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden, the Instituto Cervantes, Societa Dante Alighieri, the Institut Français and the Goethe Institute. 

The event will also include the participation of three guest countries: Norway, Switzerland, and Ukraine. All participating Member States and Cultural Centres will be organising activities to introduce their official languages, culture and history to Jordanians who attend the event.  

“The European Day of Languages is an amazing opportunity for us to build cultural bridges between Jordan and the European Union member states and promote language learning as a means to expand one’s cultural boundaries and build bridges of understanding and dialogue,” EU Ambassador to Jordan, Maria Hadjitheodosiou commented on the upcoming event. 

She added: “We are very proud that this year we have been able to hold this event despite the challenges related to the pandemic, and we are looking forward to another successful event that would be welcomed by the Jordanian public.”

Amer Al Tarawneh, Group Chief Operational Officer of Abdali Investment and Development stated: “We are delighted to host the European Day of Languages for the first time at The Boulevard, embracing European linguistic heritage.” 

“The larger development of the Abdali district continues its efforts to offer a healthy and desirable platform for supporting cultural initiatives for our community,” Tarawneh said.​

The European Day of Languages has been celebrated around the world every year since 2001. The day is celebrated on, or around, September 26 to raise awareness for the importance of lifelong language learning to increase intercultural understanding. 

In Jordan, the annual event is funded by the European Union Delegation in Jordan and is organised by EUNIC Jordan.