Georgetown, November 5 (RHC-Gina) -- Guyana's Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport will host an indigenous song festival with the aim of preserving indigenous languages and raising awareness.

Minister of Culture Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony at a press conference, stressed that it is important to preserve indigenous languages. “Language speakers are dwindling, and if we do not do something we will lose these languages and some of these languages are unique to the world and if we lose them, the world will be short on languages.”

He added that the Ministry has been looking at bringing forth an event such as the language festival because it noticed that the indigenous languages are being overlooked.

In keeping with the aim of preserving the indigenous languages, the ministry has also published seven dictionaries and is currently working on similar publications for the other two languages. In addition, Grammar books for the indigenous languages are also being worked on.

Andrew Tyndal, Administrator, National School of Music said indigenous language is being threatened by extinction. He added that music being a universal language is thought to be the most effective way to showcase the varying indigenous languages.