Over 20 events in 13 different languages and counting will be enjoyed by families as the Mother Tongues Festival returns to The Civic, Rua Red and Tallaght Library on 16th and 17th February, ahead of International Mother Language Day.
Now in its 7th year, the Mother Tongues Festival celebrates diversity, bringing exciting cultural activities to families through different languages. Offering a host of storytelling experiences, live performances and family workshops in multiple languages, this year’s festival is a treat for the curious-minded. The festival’s much-loved family day on Saturday 17th February will see hundreds of families getting stuck into hands-on workshops.
With more than 20 artists coming from 4 continents and speaking 13 languages, there will be plenty of opportunities to engage with dance, music, storytelling and craft. Languages include Polish, Japanese, Swahili, Portuguese, Italian, Irish, Spanish, Bulgarian, Urdu, French and more!
“We look forward to welcoming everybody to the Mother Tongues Festival. There’s a wonderful range of events to choose from and we encourage visitors to find something they like and try something new and different, maybe in a new language,” says Francesca La Morgia, Mother Tongues director.
“This year we are hosting a resident company, Cantieri Meticci, from Bologna in Italy, and they are preparing a wonderful surprise. We can’t wait to see you and come together for a day of creativity and togetherness!” “The festival wouldn’t happen without the support of The Arts Council, South Dublin County Council, Languages Connect and our partners The Civic Theatre and Rua Red and we’d like to extend our thanks to them,” she adds.
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Uccellina’s Way, an interactive multilingual installation by Italian resident company Cantieri Meticci. Artists Pietro Floridia and Sara Pour will also, the soul of Cantieri Meticci, will also be involved in a morning of conversations focused on creating art in transcultural environments and on the opportunities and challenges artists who have relocated encounter.
The Word Factory, a non-varbal theatre performance by Teatroletta that transports us into a world where words are saved by a brave child.
Children are also the focus of the film Il Cerchio, a documentary that catapults viewers into a classroom, where children share thoughts and emotions, and discuss their unique perspectives on the world around them.
Like Grandparents in Fairytales: This year’s photographic exhibition will feature stories of Moldovan and Romanian grandparents, highlighting the important role of family and heritage in the life of migrants in Ireland, opening a dialogue on migrant identity and what it means to have roots in more than one place.
For those who are interested in Creativity and Multilingualism, we will host a panel in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin’s School of Education and the workshop “Living Languages: Exploring mother tongues through body and voice”, led by Miriam Stewart.
Those who want to learn about practical applications of multilingualism in the arts can also attend a day-long workshop with Teatro Multilingue.
Everyone is welcome to all workshops. For the full programme and tickets, visit https://mothertonguesfestival.com/programme-2024/. Mother Tongues Festival is an initiative of award-winning social enterprise, Mother Tongues https://mothertongues.ie/
Pic Credit: Conor McCabe Photography.
