In the spirit of International Mother Language Day on February 21, TikTok has launched an evocative campaign, #AmarBhasha, uniting creators and audiences in a celebration of linguistic diversity, culture, and heritage. This initiative, resonating deeply with the essence of Bangladesh’s struggle for language preservation, highlights the power of mother tongues in connecting us to our roots and expressing our identities.
The campaign, running from February 19 to 23, 2024, is not just a tribute to the Language Movement Day of Bangladesh but a vibrant canvas for showcasing the rich tapestry of Bangladeshi culture, nature, arts, and creativity. TikTok’s #AmarBhasha and #BoiMela landing pages serve as digital hubs where the essence of Bangladeshi identity is brought to life through the Bangla alphabet challenge and a plethora of creative content.
Creators like Antik Mahmud (@antik_mahmud_official), known for his Bengali comic content, and Athoi (@medha295), who delves into art and Bengali book reviews respectively, are just a few names among many who are weaving their talents into the fabric of this campaign.
Antik Mahmud says, “21st February is a symbolization of being proud for own mother tongue. It doesn’t have to be Bengali only but any other languages as well that we use to communicate. Language can never be a barrier. It is just a medium and if the medium is not understandable to a certain group of people you can always bypass that. But language is a huge representation of culture. Hence I didn’t want to change the language I was using. We should not go on the typical way of portraying to express love for our language. We should be creative, and innovative. Rather than saying we are proud of our mother tongue, we have to show it. I think TikTok’s #Amarbhasha campaign is an exciting initiative to exhibit our language.”
“21st February is a day and place of emotion for those of us who love the Bengali language, who love their language. We still have much to give and create better content in Bengali on the TikTok platform. That’s why on this platform I started creating content regarding books. I have seen TikTok’s initiative at the book fair, and I think TikTok’s ‘#AmarBhasha’ campaign is also a great initiative. I hope TikTok will do more about the Bengali language in the future,” shares Athoi.
Along with others such as Rony Sharafat (@ronysharafat) and Labiba (@labaebaaa), they are using their platforms to narrate the beauty of Bangladeshi culture, from traditional festivals to art that speak of our unique culture.
“21st means a day that gives me the freedom to speak what I want to and reminds me of how we got our mother tongue by sacrificing many heroes. I found TikTok is a good platform to promote the Bangla language by using Bangla songs, titling content with Bangla words, and promoting Bangla books alongside Bangladeshi culture as well. There are many ways to promote it and some of the ways that I follow: making content plans according to local folk songs, using local accents while interviewing local people, taking the aesthetics of Bangla words and making harmony with music and visuals, and reading good Bangla books. And this #AmarBhasha campaign of TikTok is a brilliant initiative to highlight more specifically what we can do for our mother tongue,” shares Rony Sharafat.
Artist Labiba says, “21st February signifies the struggle, the strength, and the resilience of our forefathers when it came to fighting for our language. As a sneaker artist, I try my best to show my culture and language through my art, and TikTok has allowed me to share our culture and heritage with the world. Other creators are also representing our culture and language through Bangla/Bangladesh-specific hashtags, Bangla songs in their videos, and Bangla captions in their posts. I think this campaign is specifically a great opportunity to uphold our language through our art or content.”
This campaign offers a space where the celebration of cultural moments goes beyond mere observance. It is about active participation, where every post, video, and challenge is a thread in the larger narrative of national pride and cultural preservation. The creators, through their diverse content, are not just highlighting the beauty of Bangladesh but are actively contributing to the preservation of its language, arts, and cultural heritage.