The 10th major conference in London, held on the occasion of International Mother Language Day and to preserve the precious Persian language, took place on Sunday, February 16, at the University of Westminster in London. This conference began with a speech by Ms. Tamana Isar, a talented host, and the performance of the song "Dele Mast Parsi," while the attendees, including the two singers of the song, Mr. Taher Shabab and Mr. Sadegh Shabab, stood in respect for the preservation of the precious Persian language. It continued with brief speeches, messages from the Persian language's cultural domain, poetry readings, songs, and Persian music performances.
Among the speakers, Dr. Dadkhoda Qadamzadeh, a lecturer at the Aga Khan University in London, spoke about the historical development of the Persian language and the role of the Achaemenid, Sassanid, and Somoni empires in preserving and promoting this language. Najiba Kasraey, a former BBC journalist, discussed the role of her father and other writers in translating the Shahnameh into Pashto, noting that the Shahnameh is a shared heritage of all the people of Greater Iran. The history and great value of the Persian Language in the civilisation history and it's impacts on the other languages been addressed by Dr Rebecca Michael.
The event featured performances including flute playing by musician Nami Namdar, daf by Mr. Saied. The performance of songs and messages from the children of the educational centre of the Farsi Action Foundation, a reading of messages from the British Turkish ruth Association by Dr Shahryar, video messages from young people in Samarkand, Balkh, the centre of civilization and the birthplace of the Shahnameh, Ghazni, and the ancient Herat of Khorasan, near the Ekhtyarudden Castle, as well as musical performances by Tajikistani, Samarkandi, Iranian, and Afghanistani artists. These performances greatly enriched the event and were highly appreciated by the participants.
The annual London conferences to preserve the precious Persian language are held every year on one of the Sundays close to February 21, as declared by UNESCO as International Mother Language Day. They are organized by Farsi Action Foundation for the Persian Language Solidarity and preserving the culture and heritage of this great language, bringing together a large number of intellectuals, poets, writers, artists, and citizens of the countries within the cultural domain of the Persian language living in various parts of the United Kingdom.
In these conferences, the FAF regularly awards certificates of appreciation to individuals and institutions that have collaborated with the organisation. It also grants awards to individuals or figures who have played an active role in the promotion, research, and development of the Persian language.
At this conference, a certificate of appreciation for the collaborative efforts and significant contributions of organizations in the UK to the Farsi Action Foundation was presented to Mr. Abdul Bostani, the founder and head of Afghan United Glasgow Organisation.
This year's " Qande Parsi" Award was given to two Persian language researchers and professors: Dr Alireza Qyamati, a researcher and professor at the University of Mashhad in Iran, and Professor Akhlaq Ahan, a researcher and professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India. The Transnational Persian Language Solidarity Organization also expanded the "Qande Parsi" Award to other fields and, for the first time, awarded it in the arts category to artists Taher and Sadegh Shabab from Afghanistan.
The conference concluded with humorous readings by Haroon Yousefi, an Afghan journalist and satirical poet, and music with the song "Freedom" composed by Taher Shabab, carrying a message of hope for the real freedom of the people, which was warmly welcomed by the attendees.
Also the participants had the opportunity to view diverse clothing from the cultural domain of the Persian language and various books.
