Using the Armaments of Peace to enter a New Millenium

The Universal Esperanto Association (UEA) is so spread out through the world that the traditional New Year message ought to be sent several times throughout the year. Many of our members are now celebrating the new year, but there are also many who will celebrate it in a few days; others who will celebrate it in march or September; other who are now celebrating Ramadan rather than the New Year; and certainly others as well. In any case, respecting tradition, let's stay with the beginning of the Christian calendar.

A New Year message is a chance to estimate, from a critical distance, developments during the past year and to express wishes for development in the coming year.

During the year 2000 the Esperanto movement continued its usual growth. Don't let yourself be misled by the number of members in this or other organizations. In reality, at this moment Esperanto is growing, at times even riotously, in regions which are not entering the well-behaved circle of the eight most industrialized nations of the world. Outside those eight countries Esperantists can scarcely dream of paying dues or buying books published in the traditionally strong bases of the movement. A challenge faces UEA and the other organizations: will we succeed in finding ways of drawing these people into the life of Esperanto-land? Nowhere in our hymn is it claimed that the light wind's wings must bring the new feeling only from wealthy location to wealthy location.

So if you live in a country where there is no problem in paying dues for an individual membership, please do so. You will be helping all of UEA's activities (from spreading Esperanto among young people or in the world of the Net to helping the movement in Africa or Nepal). This is how, in fact, your dues money is disbursed. In addition, you will be joining the circle of those Esperanto speakers best informed from the most widely read Esperanto magazine, and you will be among the most favored participants in World Esperanto Congresses, purchasers of discounted books, etc.

Campaign 2000, which was followed by dedicated Esperanto speakers in many countries, is now coming to an end. It has brought several successes, while on some sides of the action progress did not occur. UEA, as a representative of the global Esperanto-speaking population, has regained all its threatened positions in international organizations such as the UN and UNESCO and others, and just in the second half of the year 2000 it attained further results. Esperantists were requested to speak in UNESCO itself to the entire world of non-governmental organizations. Nobody laughed, nobody engaged in mockery, many even asked to open relations with us. The same thing is happening at the UN, where, thanks to the strengthened New York Office, we are beginning to receive support on several sides for the resolution of the Seoul Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (1999), the resolution that demanded that the UN finally face the problem of linguistic human rights and its possible solution through the medium of a neutral language.

Esperanto speakers on every continent are beginning to operate their continental or regional Esperanto associations, unions and commissions ever more successfully. I cannot fail to mention the American and Asian congresses as shining examples of what is being done. I cannot fail to mention the awakening of the European Esperanto Union, which may in turn reawaken several European countries whose Esperanto activity is marginal. I am certain that European Esperanto speakers will be able to maximally exploit the possibilities presented by the European Year of Languages 2001, to show the world who really wants to support multilingualism and ensure the continued existence of national languages.

Alongside the traditional resources of Esperanto activity, something new is undergoing greater and greater expansion: the Internet. It is truly wonderful to determine how quickly Esperanto speakers have succeeded in adapting to this modern means of communication and in utilizing it for Esperanto. This field certainly offers us many possibilities (I won't hide from you the fact that many new Esperantists in many old countries are being recruited via internet courses). UEA and the other organizations should, I believe, somewhat more courageously dive into this great sea, where many young and interesting persons are to be found. These are just the sort of people that we need.

Since we are speaking of young people, let me take the opportunity to mention the work of our youth section Global Esperantist Youth Organization (TEJO), which is beginning once again to produce new ideas and new successful activities. I appeal to all readers of this message, young and old, to take steps to overcome organizational and age limitations and to advance cooperations. Every new New Year message, in fact, brings us closer to the moment when the people in TEJO will have to take over the torch (and write their own New Year messages). In the same way I ask everyone's cooperation for the International League of Esperanto Teachers (ILEI), our teaching branch. It is scarcely necessary to say that where Esperanto is not taught Esperanto speakers are not created. Teaching has a strong place in UEA's new work plan, currently under discussion.

I cannot end this message without two final considerations.

Our special interest associations have to become strong, to apply Esperanto in practice. Only when Esperanto is a language that people can use to buy a truck in Europe and send it to Africa will Esperanto begin to be a truly normal international language.

I spoke of trucks and business, but spiritual and cultural values are no different. As has always happened in the past, there are forces in the world that demand that we give up democracy in favor of economic efficiency. It is not strange that these ideas are supported mainly by those who are (or hope to be) economically strong. We belong, in my opinion, to the other side, to those who demand that the individual be at the center of attention, those who think that economic development has meaning only if it increases happiness, not if it kills mankind with illnesses or destroys his world. We demand that there be democracy in the linguistic and cultural field, too, so that no one must be humble or submit. Let us state this loudly and clearly in all the fora in which we have the ability to speak during the coming year. Within the moment, let us all take part in the discussions about the labor plan, whose motto is: Towards linguistic democracy!

Best wishes to you and to Esperanto in the year 2001.

Kep Enderby
President of the Universal Esperanto Association