Our languages shape who we are, and our languages enable us to build bridges and form relationships with one another. Despite the power of language, living in a society dominated by English, a global lingua franca, we can all too often pay too little attention to the vibrant and rich tapestry of languages around us. The multilingual creative writing workshops in which the work presented in this zine were developed and produced were born from a desire to encourage young people living in Nottingham to have fun and get creative with their languages whilst sharing their stories with one another in an informal setting. Attendees brought a breadth of languages and stories to the workshops with them, and (fuelled by plenty of cake) produced work that reflected on their languages, cultures, and stories. The primary aim of the workshops also aligns with those of the Story Valley project that the Nottingham City of Literature, part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, is working on with colleagues in three other Cities of Literature (Edinburgh, Leeuwarden, Ljubljana). This exciting project harnesses the power of storytelling to bring young people from diverse backgrounds together, and provided for these workshops.
Hopefully this is just the start of celebrating the broad array of languages spoken in Nottingham, and will lead to collaboration between organisations across the city to develop more initiatives that focus on multilingualism.
Thank you to all who attended the workshops and agreed for your work to be presented in this zine – your creativity and openness is greatly appreciated. Special thanks also to Dr Emma Dawson Varughese for her excellent workshop facilitation; your expertise and ability to create a relaxed, friendly space was invaluable. These workshops would also not have been possible without all of the excellent people in the Nottingham City of Literature Office, who pulled together and helped with the organisation of the workshops, often at very short notice. Finally, thank you to the University of Nottingham Faculty of Arts award for funding the workshops. Dr Katie Harrison 1.
Paprika
by Liam Skillen
VARIETIES Csípösmentes csemege
Édesnem
sweet nob
le
es
non-spicy treat
Különlityleges special qua
My bag no longer held paprika, except for in the occasional shadow of an orange stain. Within was enough 2ps for a night at the slot machines. Coins fell pushing prizes closer to the edge, just as Austrian rule had pushed the Magyars towards revolution in 1848. They had wanted freedom, and I wanted a plastic keyring.
A
little cotton bag with a green-white-red ribbon down the middle held so much wealth. Paprika was once for Hungary’s middle class, an ornamental plant-a feast for the socialites’ hungry eyes. It wasn’t until the 19th Century paprika became a spice of the people, a cheap rouged alternative to pepper enjoyed at every table.
2.
3.
Outside the arcade a man sells cheap postcards of Beryl Cook’s gaudy seaside scenes. After the short lived 1956 revolution Britain accepted 20,000 Hungarian refugees. Many started their journey towards naturalisation in army barracks along the isles coast. A British woman recalls going to the beach in Kent and making sandcastles with Hungarian children. Others remember their arrival in Skegness where a Hungarian language newspaper was even adopted. I wonder what the Hungarians made of the postcards 4. back then.
Hungary doesn’t have a sea. Instead it relies on Lake Balaton for its summer holidays. Holiday goers enjoy a bowl of Halászlé-a paprika filled fisherman’s soup-before returning to the lakes cool blue shimmer. Located not far from Balaton’s shores in Tihany is the paprika house. The outside walls are rendered with dried peppers, and inside a middle-aged woman sells every paprika product imaginable. You can buy each variety in a small 50g cotton bag, not enough to do more than garnish a dish, but enough to satisfy the patriotic traveller. It’s the end of May, and I am making my way through Budapest airport to return back home after a month in the city. There is a small shop that sells “traditional” Hungarian goods: poor replicas of Busó masks, gaudy lace coasters, and dolls in bright folk costume. For 800 forint, about £2, you can buy a bag of paprika. I buy a bag; a future talisman ready to pass on in whatever way seems most appropriate. I wonder what it will hold in the future.
IWONDER holds. future
the
5.
what
Ageing mind. Foreign land. Imagine being broken by boarders. Then imagine being tied together by language.
Language is identity
&
power
by Nidaa Raoof
Shared land with dividing cultures. There are burnt bridges in the pages of our story. There is conflict building amongst the same horizon we share. There is history being repeated and identity crumbling.
In my land I’m surrounded by change. Rangoli patterns and lenghas fill the gaps between territories. Henna painted perfectly on everyone’s hands. A thousand mosques await for a community.
Territories are not drawn in pencil by hand. They are carved into the ground by arrogance. Arrogance from authority. Power draws a map for us to follow. But instead our unique words take us adrift and re-tie us together. Bound by books and language. This language is only part of our identity, But by far it is my loudest weapon.
Freedom will climb over these boarders. Words will speak louder than any war.
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Languages bring people together by Libby Beatham
One of the best things about being able to speak another language (almost!) is the confidence that I developed as a result of my studies. Learning new vocab and practising my grammar is one thing, but actually going out into the world, putting my knowledge to the test, and speaking the language with others is completely different. I have to break the barriers of
social interaction and force myself to talk to people I wouldn’t normally talk to in English, nevermind in Spanish. I force myself to think on the spot, I force myself to experiment with my words, and I force myself to keep going, even if I think what I’m saying makes no sense, because, if I don’t, it never will.
Despite having a few Spanish speaking relatives, I grew up in a solely English household, and my only exposure to foreign languages was on family holidays to Spain, and in sporadic French lessons in primary school. It wasn’t until secondary that I was able to learn Spanish, where I continued into GCSE and, currently, A Level. An incredible part of learning Spanish at school is learning so much more than just how to speak the language; you learn about Spanish culture and cuisine and politics and news and history, and you have every opportunity to immerse yourself, albeit from your classroom, into societies you perhaps wouldn’t have the chance to otherwise. It is undoubtedly challenging, and sometimes quite daunting, knowing that native speakers can do what you’re trying hard to do so naturally, but the fun is in making the mistakes, laughing about them, moving on, doing better, and watching yourself improve. I’ve learnt an infinite amount about myself through my Spanish studies – how I learn and understand information best, the ways in which I communicate and engage with others, the aspects of society and cultures I find most interesting, how my interests within my own culture are reflected in other cultures, and the respect and love I have for not only the Spanish language, but also for the people who
speak it.
8.
9.
Whilst Spanish is the only language, other than English of course, that I have experience in, I have had a realisation over the years of how beautiful and inspiring different languages can be. The concept of there being approximately 7,000 languages spoken around the world is an extremely difficult one to wrap my head around, but it’s a fact that amazes me every time I hear it. Just the idea that the same sentence can be written so many different ways, and mean so many things to different people is so astonishing and wonderful to think about.
L
,
anguages are often thought of as
barriers
but if anything,
closer
they only bring people
together.
– they teach you about respect and community, they bring comfort through shared struggles and experiences, they spark curiosity through new ideas, they inspire creativity and imagination, they create bonds and meaningful relationships, and they ask us to look at our world and its people in ways we could never have imagined on our own.
10.
Experiences with multiple languages, however valuable, can be hard to come by in a world almost designed to work with only one. Therefore, I was so excited to go to Nonsuch Studios to attend their multilingual creative workshop. I tried to go in with a completely open mind, and my experience did not disappoint; meeting so many lovely and interesting people was so energising, I felt accepted and welcomed immediately, and I was so grateful for everyone’s stories and thoughts and backgrounds, as they made me feel a part of something so much bigger than our little studio.
This is why languages are important to me. Because even though I didn’t grow up with their influence, my limited knowledge of them was more than enough to create a desire to learn more, and, even now, with 7 years under my belt, I know there is still so much more for me to discover and enjoy, and their importance and impact on my life, as a child, as a student now, and as an adult in the future, is something I would never dare take for granted.
11.
Language & Identity by Zofia Duber
“Identity”. It’s a word that each one of us hears in many situations these days. Identity means a person's vision of himself - our self-image. Physical appearance, psyche, person’s beliefs, and moral code are only a few examples of what contributes to our identity. However, identity isn’t constant - it changes and evolves all our life, based for example on what kind of people we have around us, where we live or what kind of profession we do. But there’s one more significant thing: speech, and thus – language.
12.
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As a Polish, I was living in Poland for most of my 16-year-old life. According to the national education system, I started learning English in kindergarten (and I’m not done with this language yet). Although we mostly learned the English names of colors and animals, we were discovering the new language from an early age. For the little preschooler I was then, the English lessons were nothing
but games with our peers and teacher. But as I was growing up, I started seeing how important the knowledge of different languages is and what benefits and opportunities it brings. These days, we can say that English is the most popular language. Everyone learns it, so no matter what someone’s native language is, we can talk together in English. The awareness of that fact creates a sense of belonging to a group that is much bigger than our country - to the whole world. I experienced that feeling two years ago when I was involved in an international project, in which, along with the students from Germany and Georgia, we participated in many classes, which, naturally, were all in English. Until today, I remember it as one of the best experiences I ever had. Meeting other people from all around the world, was extremely inspiring - that’s because I saw that we just need to learn the same language to get to know them better and discover their culture. That week gave me a lot of motivation - after
that, I was studying English more eagerly than before. And even now, with each new word I learn in English, I feel more and more a part of the international community. The second language, to which I’m strongly attached, is French. This language is important to me for a long time, as my dad was living in France for one year. My first French adventure was the move to Switzerland when I was six years old. We were living there for only a year, but it was enough for me to fall in love with this country. That’s why I was attending the French courses when we were back in Poland. A few years later we moved again -this time to Paris. We spent there only five months, but this stay in Paris changed some of our habits regarding eating for example. French people make the food to be amazing -no matter whether it’s a Michelin star restaurant in the heart of Paris or a school dining room in some small village. And once you start to eat the French way and continue to do it for the next few months, you will try to do your best to keep these habits. Thanks to Paris, we became the Polish family eating in the French style. After our return to Poland, I decided that I wanted to carry on my French adventure. That’s how I started my education in a bilingual class, with some classes in French. I was surrounded by true French lovers for three years. I can’t even remember how many wonderful people I met and how many events related to French culture I was organising then. Because of all of these experiences, I feel like I’m at home each time I hear this language.
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About
International Mother Language Day UNESCO’s International Mother Language Day is a worldwide annual celebration held on 21st February to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. It has been celebrated globally since 2000 and has important historical roots. In Bangladesh, 21st February is the anniversary of the day when Bangladeshis fought for recognition for the Bangla language in 1952. With over 7,000 living languages spoken around the world today, International Mother Language Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on the importance of linguistic diversity in terms of identity, communication, social integration, and education. The work in this zine showcases some of the languages spoken in Nottingham in recognition of International Mother Language Day 2022.