Voices

[Andre Cramblit]

Call for participation in Voices of the World
An international media project on endangered languages


Dear colleagues around the world,
 
Voices of the World (VOW) aims to build international awareness of the 
diversity of mankind through a world-wide documentary film and media 
project. We want to portray the peoples of the world, giving face and 
voice to each culture and empowering every language community to speak.
The goal of VOW is to strengthen our global mutual belonging. VOW is an 
international non-profit initiative of UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassador for 
Languages Mrs. Vigdis Finnbogadottir, based on an original idea by the 
internationally acclaimed filmmaker Janus Billeskov Jansen, supported 
by the Danish Government, the UN and by leading linguists from all over 
the world.
 
AMBITIONS AND VISIONS
Our first task is to create a media event in connection with UN’s 60th 
anniversary in October 2005.
All the Nordic public service TV stations are committed to this 
broadcast. We are presently working on similar arrangements with other 
international TV-stations. In order to make this a truly global event 
we want to invite YOU to participate in creating key elements of the 
central documentary film – Voices.
Voices will tell the story of the linguistic loss the world is 
suffering from the threat of language endangerment. The film takes its 
point of departure in a personal talk with UN Sec.-Gen. Mr. Kofi Annan, 
in his own mother tongue Fante, expressing his concerns for cultural 
and linguistic diversity. But the main elements of the film are to be 
based on YOUR contributions. We seek case stories, which pinpoint the 
stages from language endangerment to language death. We look for 
storytellers who can explain what it feels like to loose one’s 
language.
 
“VOICES” NEEDS YOUR HELP
We aim to include material from as many different languages as possible 
in the film, but we have a limited budget. Thus we are looking for 
local contributions.
You can participate in three different ways. 1. you can submit new 
material. 2. you can submit material already recorded. 3. you can send 
us contacts to speakers of endangered languages. We are looking for 
charismatic storytellers who can tell moving personal stories to the 
world in their own language. The issues to be covered are:
 
1. The language generation gap – fx how does it feel to live in a 
family where grand parents and grand children find it hard to 
communicate, because the language of the older generation was not 
passed on?
2. The last speakers – fx how does it feel to be among the last few 
speakers of a language?
3. Language suppression (economic, social, political, cultural) – fx 
how do people cope with situations, when their language is not given 
space in the public sphere? What does it mean to a community, if their 
language is forbidden or drained of resources?
4. Language and technology – fx how are speakers of endangered 
languages affected by globalization and the new information technology?
We are also looking for success stories such as:
5. Language revitalization – fx how did a particular endangered 
language community manage to turn the situation around and revitalize 
their language?
6. Other vital language issues? –  YOU might come up with something 
brilliant, which we were not even able to conceptualize – given the 
limitations of our language…
 
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
If you want to participate in “Voices”, please start by sending us an 
email introducing yourself, your language or the language you are 
engaged with. Please also describe your contribution and in what way 
you would like to collaborate with us.
We will then send you more information about the project, more 
specifications of what we are looking for and technical requirements.
 
Contact:  Voices of the World
Project manager: Signe Byrge Sørensen
byrge at final-cut.dk
Forbindelsesvej 7; 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel: +45 35 43 60 43, Fax: +45 35 43 60 44
 
Don’t miss this opportunity to present YOUR language as part of the 
bigger picture.
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