“We are concerned because our language is being lost a little more every day. There are alarming data in the latest censuses of how the number of people who speak the Mixe language in the same municipality of Totontepec has decreased significantly, but it is not an isolated case, in most of the Mixe municipalities the phenomenon is the same”, says Don Armando in an interview with Political Expansion.
On the occasion of the International Mother Language Day, which has been commemorated every February 21 for the past 15 years, the defender of the Mixe emphasizes that preservation is an act of rights and social justice for indigenous communities, but above all, it gives cultural value to Mexico.
“We must reflect on the importance of indigenous peoples, not only regarding their language, but also their presence, because this gives value and cultural richness to our country, but unfortunately they have not been able to appreciate it as it should,” express.
Appreciate the mother tongue
In July 2021, Don Armando and a group of residents of Totontepec took an online course and this prompted them to continue working on the defense and preservation of the mother tongue through promotion and awareness activities.
Some of these activities were scheduled from February 17 to 19 within the framework of the International Mother Language Day, and the main objective is to motivate children and adolescents to reinforce their mother tongue.
“The activities are mainly focused on children because, basically, I think they are the future in terms of the survival or not of our languages. We want to revalue our language,” he emphasizes.
