The Maya people in Belize have a rich culture and history, which they have had to fight to keep alive. European colonizers worked hard to suppress the Mayan language so much so that the writing system almost completely disappeared. Luckily, there are families like Frank Tzib’s, who still know how to read and write in this unique and complex language. In Mayan written language, each syllable is represented by an image, for example of a face or an animal. The nuances can be difficult to navigate, which is why Frank wants to dedicate his life to teaching Mayan to the children of his village.
How important do you think it is to preserve ancient languages?
Watch the full documentary “The Maya of Belize - The battle for culture, the rainforest and ancient knowledge” on the DW Documentary YouTube channel.
#documentary #dwdocumentary #dwdocs #language #Maya #Belize
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