ECA commits to cultural exchange, mutual learning

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has reiterated it’s commitment towards promoting cultural exchange and mutual learning among civilisations.

Acting Executive Secretary of ECA Antonio Pedro said this in a statement issued on the commission’s website on Friday.

Pedro said that in a bid to ensure this, the commission celebrated the Spanish Language Day at its headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Our correspondent reports that the event offered a variety of spices in which interaction was encouraged to learn about the rich Hispanic culture and language.

Participants also learnt the importance of multilingualism to preserve linguistic and cultural traditions while also fostering harmony and peace.

Pedro opened the ceremony with Ambassadors Crisantos Ondo (Equatorial Guinea), Jorge Nicolás (Cuba), and Victor Treviño (Mexico) while thanking all present for their continued support of multilingualism.

While quoting Nelson Mandela, he said: “If you speak to a man in a language he understands, the message reaches his head. If you speak to him in his language, it reaches his heart”.

The Acting executive secretary underscored the importance of the Spanish language in international cooperation.

According to him, the UN and ECA have been offering Spanish language courses to staff members and diplomatic personnel for several years.

“Spanish is not only the language spoken in Spain and in the Hispanic countries of Africa and Latin America. It is also the mother tongue of more than 496 million people spread across almost all the world’s continents,” he said.

He saluted the tireless efforts of the Equatorial Guinea Ambassador, who for several years had been striving to make Spanish one of the official languages of the African Union.

Meanwhile, the Equatorial Guinea Ambassador said adopting Spanish as an official language of the African Union could help open new opportunities and expectations of expanding the Spanish language on the continent.
Ondo said :”It can also improve commercial and diplomatic relations with the rest of the world.”

According to him, in Africa, there is an increasing demand for Spanish studies in countries such as Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, Cameroon, Angola, Mozambique, Tunisia, and Ivory Coast.

He further said that about 10 million people currently spoke Spanish in Africa as their first or second language.

The event was hosted by the nine Spanish-speaking countries that have missions in Addis Ababa namely, Argentina, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The occasion highlighted the positive role of the Spanish language in promoting cultural exchange and people-to-people connections.

The UN Day of the Spanish Language is celebrated every April 23 in tribute to writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, who died on April 23, 1816.