Inaugurated the third edition of the international week dedicated to the Romansh language (Emna rumantscha), promoted by the FDFA in collaboration with the Canton of Graubünden and the Lia Rumantscha with the aim of raising awareness of the richness of multilingual Switzerland abroad.

From Bern to Swiss representations around the world: the annual meeting with the Emna rumantscha is an opportunity for the FDFA to make our country’s plurality known abroad as well. “In 2022, the two school classes from Savognin and Scuol that I met in Bern shared with me many ideas for promoting their language and culture. They showed that from our plurality come innovative ideas: this year we wanted to develop one in particular, together with our Swiss representations abroad,” explains Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis. In fact, it was precisely from the ideas of the young Romansh speakers that the idea of a cooking workshop, organized in collaboration with the Canton of Grisons and the Lia Rumantscha, was born for this third edition in Switzerland and around the world.

#Romansh is one of the four national language of🇨🇭.
It is spoken in the canton of #Grisons.
Let's celebrate the week of Romansch language.#EmnaRumantscha pic.twitter.com/2yd78NqSbB

— Swiss Mission to the EU (@SwissmissionEU) February 21, 2023

Chefs in Bern to bring Romansh culture abroad

The invitation to participate in the cooking workshop, under the guidance of Grisonian chef Andreas Baselgia, was accepted by representatives of the Swiss embassies in Italy, France, Belgium and the United Kingdom, as well as the ambassadors of Spain and Austria to Switzerland. The goal: to find out more about Romansh culture, and then take the knowledge learned back to their own representations.The meeting was also held in the presence of Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, National Council President Martin Candinas, and Graubünden State Councillor Jon Domenic Parolini.

The Embassy of Switzerland in the United Kingdom will immediately put into practice what it learned at a “Romansh evening” organized during “Wales Week” on Feb. 27 in London. Through traditional dishes and information about the Romansh world, the embassy will link Swiss plurality to the preservation of Wales’ cultural heritage in the UK.

Rumantsch: a language to discover

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Learning Romansh in New York

Other Swiss representations abroad have also taken steps to promote knowledge of the Romansh language and culture in their respective countries, particularly through meetings and digital content. The Consulate General of Switzerland in New York is organizing the first Romansh course in the city’s history. The course with Chasper Pult will take place in Brooklyn, where residents and interested people can learn more about the language and taste specialties from Switzerland. The Consulate is also repurposing a series of “crash-course rumantsch” videos made in iconic New York City locations – such as the subway, Times Square, Wallstreet and the UN headquarters.

FDFA and plurilingualism

The “Emna rumantscha” is part of a series of events-such as the “Days of Plurilingualism” and the activities organized on the occasion of the “Week of the Italian Language in the World,” the “Semaine de la francophonie” and the “Woche der deutschen Sprache“-that emphasize the importance of plurilingualism for national cohesion, but also for openness to the outside world. Indeed, Swiss plurality is an internationally valued characteristic.

The promotion of minority languages in Switzerland is also part of the structured and ongoing political dialogue that the head of the FDFA conducts with the Canton of Graubünden and the Canton of Ticino.