THUNDER BAY – When Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal arrived in Thunder Bay in 2018, he didn’t know anybody in his new city and spoke only basic English. Two years later, the Lakehead University student had packed a room full of friends and city leaders and was animatedly answering questions from local media.
Several dozen people attended a celebration of International Mother Language Day at Waverley public library Friday, organized by Mostofa Kamal with help from the library. The event included the screening of foreign-language films, poetry readings, traditional songs, and community speakers.
MP Patty Hajdu was present for the event, as were MPPs Michael Gravelle and Judith Monteith-Farrell, Mayor Bill Mauro, and elders Tim and Christine Hardy.
Mother Language Day is held on Feb. 21 each year, after being recognized by the United Nations in 2002. It promotes awareness of cultural and linguistic diversity. The movement has its roots in the 1952 deaths of student protestors agitating for the recognition of the Bangla language in Pakistan.
For Mostofa Kamal, holding Thunder Bay’s inaugural Mother Language Day celebration at the public library was not incidental. He says visits to the library were key in not only building his English skills, but integrating into the Thunder Bay community.
“This is a sacred place for me, like a mosque or a church,” he says. “This is one of the most welcoming places in the city. You know there’s friendly faces here that will greet you, and they will help you with not only books.”
He says conversations with library staff helped him feel at home, while he met new friends through library events. He adds that the library’s anti-racism initiatives and free services like tax support help newcomers to the city.
Chief Librarian John Pateman says the library has traditionally maintained collections in languages including French and Finnish – and as Thunder Bay becomes more diverse, the library is working to keep up with new materials, partnerships, and events.
“It’s demand-driven, so if any community wants books in their language, or support language materials, we will supply those as required,” he says.
But for Pateman, the library’s role in supporting diversity goes far beyond stocking books in other languages.
“Part of the role of the library is to be a community-builder, to show that we’ve got many more things in common than differences,” he says. “Thunder Bay is becoming an increasingly diverse community in terms of the backgrounds of the people coming here, with students going to Lakehead and Confederation College. We want to celebrate and share this diversity, while at the same time recognizing that we’re all one people at the end of the day.”
He points to partnerships with Indigenous organizations like Anishinabek Employment and Training Services as one key part of that work. He adds the library looks to support requests for new initiatives from the community, like Mostofa Kamal’s Mother Language Day celebration.
After the event, attendees were asked to place a sticker on a world map on display by the Waverley front desk, indicating where their own mother tongue originates. Pateman says those maps will be on display for several days at all four library branches, and he welcomes the public to participate. He says the initiative gives a glimpse into the sometimes surprising diversity in Thunder Bay.
