The Jamaican Patois which is the mother language for many Jamaicans is being embraced and is being celebrated by the Ministry of Culture, Gender and Entertainment and Sports for the season of Lent through the launch of a social media campaign on Wednesday (February 22).

The social media campaign commemorates the start of Lent with daily scriptures from the ‘Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment’, published by the Bible Society of the West Indies in 2012.

In a statement from the culture ministry, portfolio minister Olivia Grange said the campaign is part of the Ministry’s “celebration and promotion of every aspect of Jamaican culture.”

Grange noted that the campaign is aimed at promoting the mother language stating that: “our patois is such an important part of our Jamaican identity and it is important that we promote it and celebrate it and use it in ways to inspire confidence and pride among our people.”

The scriptures will be published on the ministry’s social media pages and were selected under the instruction of the Love and Faith World Outreach Ministries, a religious organization based in Jamaica.

“We hope that people will feel blessed and inspired by the readings,” said Grange.

The campaign also follows the commemoration of International Mother Language Day on Tuesday (February 21), a day that recognises languages and linguistic diversity to promote inclusion in societies worldwide.