European Year of Languages 2001
The year 2001 was declared by the Council of Europe as the European Year of Languages in collaboration with the European Commission and was a success due to the participation of millions of people in 45 countries. Subsequently, every year September 26 is celebrated as the European Day of Languages.
The schools of Galicia and Catalonia belonging to the ASP-UNESCO Network, with the collaboration of Portuguese schools, organized a joint festival in 2001 under the title "From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean". Students from Galicia and Portugal presented poems, songs, plays and other texts in the original languages of the Atlantic countries. All texts were presented with international gestures at the same time, as a kind of added communicative value.
This event took place on the Paseo de Gracia (in front of Gaudí's famous La Pedrera house) in September, during the great Mercè festivities in Barcelona.
The program began with a greeting song in several languages. The students made the same gestures in all languages and the music (whose author is Fernando Fernández Picos, a primary school teacher in Galicia) was performed by a local band.
You can watch a video with some of the greetings:
Then came the presentation of the event, made by a teacher of Galicia in Catalan, the language of Catalonia. He also made the signs of the main ideas to prepare the audience for a better understanding of the texts in different languages.
Dara: Brazilian song, in Portuguese and Yoruba (Nigerian language)
Author: Daniela Mercury
Presented by students of the institute "IES Pedra da Auga" of Ponteareas (Galicia) you can also see it HERE
Solidarité: song about the suffering of immigrants, in Wolof (Senegalese language)
Author: Youssou N'Dour
Presented by students of the institute "IES Luis Seoane" of Pontevedra (Galicia)
Mar Portugués: a poem in Portuguese about oceanic discoveries
Author: Fernando Pessoa,
Presented by students of the secondary school of Melgaço (Portugal)
Grândola: a song in Portuguese that started the "Carnation Revolution"
Author: José Afonso
Presented by students of the institute "Cal Brandão" of Porto (Portugal)
Os Pinos: the anthem of Galicia, in Galician language.
Author: Eduardo Pondal
Presented by the students of the "Terra de Turonio" high school in Nigrán (Galicia), you can also see it HERE