Many actions are now engaged across the world to save works of art, monuments, memorial sites etc.

Everywhere we consider it is important to restore this or that item in a museum, to list this or that old village as worthy of being classified as part of our “World Heritage”, to ensure this or that archaeological site does not simply disappear.

All these conservationist programs exist because human beings are conscious of the need to pass on what they have created, imagined, and built throughout the ages, because knowledge and experience must be perpetuated. For, without a past, any future is impoverished.

So, what is the difference between stone and language, or between paintings and folklore? What is the difference between tangible and intangible creativity? Both are the fruit of human imagination, talent and genius. As with monuments, the world’s languages must be preserved and helped to survive. They are our common heritage, they have survived the centuries. They have been handed down from generation to generation, and it is now our duty to prevent this important part of our heritage from disappearing.