60 | Carry Your Language In Your Heart

Ekushey February (or 21st of February) is commemorated by Bangladeshis across the world to honor students and activists who died in the 1952 Bengali Language Movement in what was then East Pakistan. Many years later, February 21st became known as “International Mother Language Day” across the world, a time for all people to reflect on, cherish, and protect the rich linguistic heritage of our human family. For the final episode of our language season, we sit for “cha” and “adda”  and hear the stories of Bangladeshi community members right here in Brooklyn. • Brooklyn, USA is produced by Emily Boghossian, Shirin Barghi, Charlie Hoxie, Khyriel Palmer, and Mayumi Sato. If you have something to say and want us to share it on the show, here’s how you can send us a message: https://bit.ly/2Z3pfaW

• Thank you to Ifti Chowdhury, Sohel Mahmud, Annie Ferdous, Kadar Rahim, Hanif Yazdi, the Royal Bengal Teahouse, Adriana, Leen, Nidal, and the Arab American Family Support Center.

• LINKS
Ifthekar Chowdhury AKA ifti is a New York-based musician, songwriter and music producer from Sylhet, Bangladesh. He grew up between Dhaka, New York City and Washington, DC. Growing up he was exposed to sufi music, kirtan and other forms of Bengali traditional music blended with music from the middle east and Latin America. His love for music and poetry from around the world gave him the opportunity to sing in different languages and build cultural bridges as a curator and producer at Royal Bengal Tea house. He has traveled to the UK, Mexico, Bangladesh and Colombia to collaborate with visual and culinary artists and curate cultural experiences that engage all the senses.

Sohel Mahmud is a Bangladeshi broadcast journalist, social worker and organizer based in Brooklyn. He has previously worked with Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM), SHETU, CAAAV, BRIC, and Human Rights Watch. He also works as a translator, Interpreter and social media content creator. With more than one million followers, he is passionate about telling the story of Bangladeshi immigrants in the U.S. Watch more of Sohel's work on DWIPTV.

Royal Bengal Tea House (also known as RBTH) is an organization founded in 2014 to build a South East Asian community of musicians and support expatriates of Bangladeshi origin. It has since expanded to create musical events hosting performers and welcoming attendees of every nationality. Royal Bengal Tea House has also been involved politically, advocating for human rights issues in the United States and supporting humanitarian efforts overseas ranging from fundraising concerts for refugees and marginalized communities due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Follow Royal Bengal Tea House @royalbengalteahouse on Instagram, and The Royal Bengal Tea House on Facebook.

The Arab American Family Support Center is a non-profit organization established in 1994 to provide culturally and linguistically competent, trauma-informed social services to low-income immigrants and refugees in New York City. Working across four priority areas - Prevent, Promote, Get Ready, and Communicate - AAFSC has served 10,000 community members this past year, across 13 physical locations, to achieve their ultimate goal of strengthening families.

The Endangered Language Alliance is a New York City-based nonprofit with a mission to document endangered languages and support linguistic diversity. Explore their interactive language map at www.languagemap.nyc<