Toronto Star: Canadian Governor General speaks to U.N. agency — in 5 languages

[marmar]

Michaelle Jean




Michaelle Jean speaks to U.N. agency — in 5 languages
Governor General talks up cultural diversity with speech to UNESCO

Oct 05, 2009 03:00 PM
THE CANADIAN PRESS


PARIS – Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean delivered a speech in five languages before the United Nations' cultural agency on Monday in an effort to make a point about cultural diversity.

She lauded the work of UNESCO in an address that saw her speak to delegates in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Haitian Creole.

She told the gathering in Paris that many of the world's problems occur because people fail to communicate with each other.

"It is my firm belief that misunderstanding, exclusion and violence, which are never justified, are the result of dialogues that never took place and debates about ideas that were never launched," she said in a prepared text of her speech.

"But our perspective – long limited to our own village, region or country – has now expanded to global proportions and calls for a more comprehensive redefinition of our realities.

"This unprecedented openness to the world requires us to work together to redefine the ties and values that bind us to one another and will endure as the legacy of our civilization." ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/705671

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Wow! Just Wow!.....

[AuntPatsy]

2. K & R

[Barack_America]

3. Well that's not how we do it here in the USofA

[marmar]

4. That's priceless......

nt

[Gwendolyn]

6. Well, to be fair, Canada has had its own growing pains in the language area.

This attitude is relatively new. I still remember growing up in Montreal to see spray-painted signs along the lines of "Fuck You English, Go Home" and particularly around the referendum, things were tense. Then there was the language police. And people actually thought an English/French union was "inter-marrying." :D

[Lucy Goosey]

5. She has to be one of the most attractive Heads of State in the world.

And brainy, too!

[babylonsister]

7. She is THE communicator! I'm so impressed! Yet

this country is slashing second languages? :(

[Blue_Tires]

8. kick

[HeresyLives]

9. Isn't she great?

We're very proud of her.

[JimWis]

10. That is so cool. Thanks for sharing.