Join the Pacific Library Talanoa – Tuvalu Language Week with guest speaker Molia Alama Tulafono
Wednesday 28 September, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Zoom Link: https://unitec-ac-nz.zoom.us/j/96560816657?pwd=MVNSZ25nVEhqR0daeWtwMFlKNnpMZz09
This year’s theme for Vaiaso o te Gana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week is Fakamautu ke mautakitaki te Gagana Tuvalu mo te atafai, fakaaloalo mo te amanaiagina, which means ‘nurture with sustainability the Tuvalu language with care, respect and dignity’.
The theme connects to the overall theme for this years Pacific language weeks ‘sustainability’ and the launch of the UNESCO Decade of Indigenous languages. This theme reflects the importance of nurturing the Tuvaluan language in a sustainable manner.
The preservation of the Tuvaluan language is recognized by having the utmost care and respect for the language in its purity. Caring and respecting the language also accounts for the differences that the people of Tuvalu have within their communities. The roles within the family unit are integral to sustaining the Tuvaluan language with care and respect which then extends to the wider society.
Unitec’s School of Healthcare and Social Practices Senior Lecturers Dr Hoa Nguyen and David Kenkel, undertook research last year to shine a light on the dilemma of undocumented Tuvaluan overstayers living in Aotearoa/New Zealand.