Endangered Language Alliance
The Endangered Language Alliance (ELA) is an independent non-profit based in New York City and the only organization in the world focused on the immense linguistic diversity of urban areas. Many of the New York area’s estimated 800 languages are highly endangered; for many, New York is a major center. ELA documents and describes under-described and endangered languages, educating a larger public and collaborating with communities.
Wakhi speaker Rahila Babar, originally from Upper Hunza in Pakistan but now living in New York, sings a Khowari song, accompanied by musician Shahid Ahmed Khan
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Wakhi speaker Rahila Babar, originally from Upper Hunza in Pakistan but now living in New York, sings a famous Wakhi song, accompanied by musician Shahid Ahmed Khan.
Music
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Asalbegim Mamadalibekova sings a traditional Wakhi lullaby (or lalajik). In the second video, she discusses the lullaby's wider significance in the community
At home in Brooklyn, thousands of miles from the Hunza Valley of northern Pakistan, Amina Bibi passes on the Wakhi language to her 1-year-old son Alhan - through lullabies. In Wakhi with Wakhi and English subtitles by Husniya Khujamyorova. Part of the Lullabies of New York Project, supported by the Brooklyn Arts Council.
In the second video, Jamila Bibi, a Wakhi speaker from the Gojal Valley in the Hunza District of northern Pakistan, tells the story of her family and her language. In Wakhi with Wakhi and English subtitles by Husniya Khujamyorova.
Mirgulova Shirmo, a Rushani speaker originally from Vamar in the Rushan region of Tajikistan, sings a Rushani lullaby. In th second video, she discusses the lullaby and its wider context in her life. Part of the Lullabies of New York Project, supported by the Brooklyn Arts Council. In Rushani with Rushani and English subtitles by Husniya Khujamyorova.