96. Deutscher Esperanto-Kongress

The 96th annual Congress of the German Esperanto Association (Deutscher Esperanto-Bund e.V.) will be devoted to the International Year of Indigenous Languages with a particular focus on endangered languages in Europe. Presentations and discussion groups will deal i.a. with the situation of the Irish language in Ireland, the Sorb in parts of Eastern Germany, and the Occitan in Southern France. The organizers see this year’s Congress as an opportunity to strengthen outreach and further develop contacts with communities involved.

By tradition the Esperanto movement has been active in supporting multilingualism, diversity and equality of chances for all language communities, and countering any discrimination based on one’s language. This is why the situation of indigenous languages has continuously been high on its agenda. The proceedings of the Congress will as always be in Esperanto, but a special session in German will be organized if need be. The expected attendance will be around 150 from 10-15 countries.