Honouring mother language and literature with activities throughout the year
‘The Birth of the Word’ is a famous poem by Aco Shopov, one of the founders of the contemporary Macedonian poetry. It is also the title of a series of activities launched by the EU Delegation to North Macedonia on 21 February to promote the International Mother Language Day through literature.
The opening event at Europe House, in the format of the previously established ‘Culture Talks’, brought together linguists, writers (including the laureate of the European Prize for Literature Petar Andonovski), officials and EU representatives for a discussion on the importance of the language, its intimate link with speakers and readers, and its protection and promotion through literature. On this occasion some 420 novels by European writers translated into Macedonian with the help of Creative Europe where exhibited at Europe House while their titles were displayed on the façade of the premises.
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The activities will continue in March with the opening of a multimedia exhibition at the EU Residence entitled ‘On the Edge of Words’, organised in partnership with Acanthus Gallery.
In addition to the marking of the 100th anniversary since Aco Shopov’s birth on 21 March - World Poetry Day, in the course of 2023 the EU Delegation will also join the honouring of the great writer and philologist Blazhe Koneski, the poet Kocho Racin and the philologist and ethnographer Krste Misirkov on different occasions.
As part of the ‘Travelling Book Club’, the books translated with EU support will be presented at the Europe Houses throughout the country and will be made available to local readers for a period of two months. This will go in parallel with poetry readings.
2023 is also the year when the Babylon Award for Best Young Translators turns ten. The awarding ceremony, traditionally held on 26 September – the European Day of Languages – will take place at the National and University Library as a symbolic treasury of all publications in Macedonian language.
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