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The World Arabic Language Day was marked in Accra on Wednesday to highlight the significance of the language, and it its contribution to humanity.
The Embassy of the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the University of Ghana, Department of African and Asian Languages organised the forum to mark the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of Arabic as one of the six languages of the United Nations.
It was on the theme “Arabic-the Language of Poetry and Arts” and was attended by some members of the diplomatic corps, academia, Arabic scholars and students of Arabic.
In 1973 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted Arabic, which is spoken daily by estimated 400 million across the globe, and set aside December 18 to pay tribute to the poetic and artistic brilliance of the Arabic language.
Addressing the forum, the Deputy Ambassador of the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Ghana, Mohammad Alaleigh, expressed appreciation to the Arabic Language Department of the University of Ghana for their efforts to spread the Arabic language.
He said language was one of the main pillars of any society and the driving force for connecting societies and communities, adding that the theme had been chosen to highlight the significant contributions of the Arabic language in producing knowledge, literature, poetry, arts and cultural sciences, enriching the cultural and linguistic diversity of humanity, and emphasizing its historical role in building bridges of communication between various cultures and peoples.
Mr Alaleigh underscored the status of the language of the Holy Quran, and the importance of the Arabic language in Arab civilization and culture, as it was one of the most widespread and widely used languages in the world and contributes to human civilization and culture.
“We encourage Arabic language teaching centres to intensify efforts in innovating modern technologies to spread the acquisition of Arabic and our thanks go to the governments of the Republic of Ghana and its scrupulous leaders.
I am highly certain that the acquisition of Arabic by the generous Ghanaian people can be a catalyst for strengthening relations between the Republic of Ghana and all the 22 countries that use Arabic as an official language and can provide employment opportunities for Ghanaian youths,” he said.
The Head of Department of African and Asian Languages Department, Dr Felixs Kwame Sosoo, said the contribution of Arab language to modern civilization had left indelible mark on the world heritage.
The Algerian Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Mourad Louhaidia donated a number of books to the department, to enhance the teaching and learning of the Arabic Language.
By Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman
