As the world marks this year’s International Mother Language Day, Jehovah’s Witnesses have emphasised the need to reach people’s hearts using their mother tongue.

Every February 21, the world marks the International Mother Language Day aimed at creating awareness about linguistic and cultural diversity as well as promotes multilingualism. First announced by UNESCO on November 17, 1999, it was formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2002.

In a statement, over the weekend, the spokesperson of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Nigeria, Olusegun Eroyemi, said: “Jehovah’s Witnesses appreciate the need to reach people’s hearts using their mother tongue. This is especially true with regards to their message of hope for the future.”

He said the jw.org website is the most translated website in the world, as it is hosted in some 1,052 languages. In Nigeria, he added that Jehovah’s Witnesses’ publications are in 31 languages and its official website www.jw.org, is in 22 Nigerian languages, including Nigerian sign languages.

Eroyemi further said that on April 4, 2021, the revised New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures was released in Igbo, in addition to the Yoruba, Isoko, and Efik languages. He noted that there are over 600,000 video and audio materials in a variety of languages on subjects like: How to Break Free From Drug Addiction; Surviving the First Year of Marriage; Maintaining Commitment in Your Marriage; Am I Ready to Date?; Is This Person Right for Me?; The Best Help for Those Who Grieve; Is Life Worth Living When Disaster Strikes?; How God’s Care Can Benefit You; Coping with Pandemic Anxiety, and many more.

According to Eroyemi, these materials can be downloaded for free, as the best way to motivate humans is to speak to them in the language that reaches their heart. He encouraged readers to visit www.jw.org and browse in their mother tongue.

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