Portuguese speakers around the globe celebrate the International Day of the Portuguese Language on 5 May.
Established in 2009 by the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), and adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in 2019, this date highlights the invaluable contribution of the Portuguese language to mankind in the fields of literature, arts, music, science and technology, among other areas of knowledge.
The Portuguese language is spoken in nine countries located on four continents: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe. Together, they comprise a population of more than 285 million people and a joint GDP of more than US$2,3 trillion.
This wide geographic presence reflects a vast array of expressions, accents, tastes and cultural diversity that gives the Portuguese language its truly international dimension.
Portuguese is the fourth most spoken language in the world, after Mandarin, English and Spanish, the first in the southern hemisphere, and the fifth most used on the internet. It is one of the official languages of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU), as well as 30 other international organisations.
Since 2014, Namibia has played an important role as one of the 19 observer members of the CPLP.
Speaking on behalf of the fellow observers to the CPLP in 2021, president Hage Geingob noted that “the values of international cooperation and multilateralism that underpin the CPLP are fundamental for the promotion and strengthening of peace, security and socio-economic development”.
The observer status within the community enables Namibia to further strengthen its diplomatic, economic, social and cultural ties with Portuguese speaking countries. This is particularly relevant within the framework of the forum of CPLP trade and investment promotion agencies.
As one of the most widely spoken foreign languages in Namibia, Portuguese is the mother language of around 100 000 residents of the country, including Angolan, Brazilian and Portuguese nationals.
They represent a bridge between the local culture and economy to the widespread world of lusophony.
Since 2011, Portuguese has been available as an optional foreign language in the official curriculum of the Namibian primary and secondary schools.
The study of the Portuguese language offers a useful tool, especially for the Namibian youth, in opening new opportunities to advance their goals in such fields as trade, business, technology, culture and education.
On this special day, as resident ambassadors of Angola, Brazil and Portugal in Windhoek, we invite all Namibians to celebrate with us the multicultural and diverse universe of the Portuguese language as a bridge to further connect our countries as friendly partners. We also thank Namibia for embracing with open arms the rich legacy of the Portuguese language.
As we say in Portuguese: “Obrigado, Namibia!” (Thank you!)
- Angola currently serves as pro tempore president of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries.
*Jovelina E Costa is the ambassador of Angola, Vivian Sanmartin is the ambassador of Brazil and Luís da Silva is the ambassador of Portugal.
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