The annual Power of Language Week at the University kicked off on Thursday, Feb. 13, with the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Carnival. The Power of Language Week is a nine day-long celebration that has a range of events dedicated to fostering multilingualism on campus by bringing together speakers and learners of all languages. It also aims to celebrate International Mother Language Day and the Bengali Language Movement.

The week is organized by the Fries Center for Global Studies, the Office of International Student Affairs, and the Graduate Student Association, in addition to being sponsored by a number of other University departments. The event’s steering committee was led by Global Language and Outreach Fellow Thais García Bagué ’23, who designed and curated this year’s program. 

According to García Bagué, the Power of Language Week is held to honor the diversity of languages at the University, which has over 70 languages spoken between the student body, faculty, and staff. 

“[The] Power of Language Week is really an effort to highlight the importance of language diversity, especially at Wesleyan and especially currently in the United States at this moment,” García Bagué said. “It’s all about the perseverance of language and the determination to preserve one’s mother tongue. I think that it’s really cool to have something that is not celebrated anywhere else in the country.”

The FLTA Carnival stemmed from a long-running potluck for FLTAs, where people would bring dishes from their home country. The potluck feature is gone, and now FLTAs bring snacks and games from their country for attendees to enjoy.

“It’s team bonding for the FLTAs, and I think it’s a really fun time,” García Bagué said. 

For the FLTAs, this event is not only a part of the larger Power of Language Week but a symbolic expression of memories and culture from their home countries.

“In Spanish culture, we try to share our tables with family, friends and the table is the center and we talk, we chat, we share our opinions or feelings during the day,” Spanish FLTAs Alba Montes Gómez and Carlos Fernández Mondedeu said. 

Many FLTAs view their role on campus as more than just a language instructor, including Fulbright scholar Aditya Raj, who teaches Hindi and Urdu at the University. 

“I am a cultural ambassador of India to the United States, and I feel so proud in representing my culture, my ethnicity, and my roots,” Raj said.

The event saw both domestic and international students, representing a variety of different ethnicities and backgrounds, come together. 

“I got to learn so much about the cultures of different countries through their language, food, films, games and much more,” Daniela Hernandez ’28 said. “I really enjoyed my time there as each person at the table was super informative and was more than happy to talk about their culture. I wish Wesleyan could hold more of these events.” 

The Power of Language Week is inspired by the Bengali Language Movement, which started in 1952. After the Pakistani government made Urdu the official language, protests broke out in East Pakistan on Feb. 21, 1952, advocating for the local language of Bangla to receive government recognition. After East Pakistan gained independence and was renamed Bangladesh, the United Nations declared Feb. 21 as International Mother Language Day. 

The Power of Language Week will continue on Friday, Feb. 14, with Traditional Korean Arts and Crafts, Samba Fest, and a Chinese Mahjong Club meeting. The last event is on Sunday, Feb. 23. The schedule can be found on the Fries Center for Global Studies webpage.

Anabel Goode contributed reporting.

Raiza Goel can be reached at rgoel@wesleyan.edu.