COVID-19 AND ESPERANTO

- COVID-19 AND ESPERANTO April 17-19, 2021 Alan Reed LIBERT School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia ORCID: 0000-0003-1446-4183 ASTRACT COVID-19 has had a tremendous effect on a very large number of people and organizations around the world. This includes speakers of Esperanto, the most widely used artificial (i.e. consciously created) language. In this paper, I will look at how the Esperanto community has been affected by COVID-19, and how it has responded to it. For one thing, various conferences and other meetings, such as the 2020 World Esperanto Congress, have been put off, changed to an online format, or cancelled. On the other hand, the organizers of the International Medical Esperanto Congress decided to have it focus on COVID, with topics such as the Australian Esperanto Association is running a series of online lectures, and one of the lectures of g.au/news/>). In addition, various aspects of COVID-19 have come up and been discussed much in Esperantolanguage media from many countries in the world. For example, in issue 41 of Esperanto en Afrika Esperanto in Africa Eduardo Larrouy in issue 304 of La Ondo de Esperanto COVID-19. The Wave of Esperanto We thus see that Esperantists, like most other people, have suffered from and had to deal with the current pandemic. Keywords: COVID-19, Esperanto, artificial languages. INTRODUCTION For more than a year, people and organizations all over the the world have had to deal with COVID-19. Among those affected are Esperantists, that is, people who use the artificial auxiliary language Esperanto. (Artificial languages are languages which have been deliberately created, and auxiliary languages are languages used by people who speak different natural languages.) In this paper, I will look at how the Esperanto community has been affected by COVID-19, and how it has responded to it. Although Esperanto has not been as successful as its designer (L. L. Zamenhof) would have hoped, it is by far the most successful artificial auxiliary language; at least tens of thousands of people have some knowledge of it, and there are, and have been, many publications in it, and many Esperanto associations around the world. It is therefore accurate to say that there is an Esperanto community. MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES One effect of the pandemic is that various conferences and other meetings have been put off, changed to an online format, or cancelled. For example, the headline of a press release from April 4, 2020 in Montreal postponed to 2022 due to COVID(<https://esperanto2020.ca/en/2020-world-esperanto-congress-in-montreal-postponed-to-2022-due-tocovid-19-pandemic/>, viewed on April 25, 2021). Note that the delay was not one year, but two; this is (ibid.). The press release notes that nothing else had ever had stopped these congresses before except WWI and WWII. Similarly, the First Philippine Esperanto Youth Congress, scheduled for April 312 - 23advisory>, viewed on April 16, 2021). April 17-19, 2021 -esperas.org/#!/congress/covid19- In May, 2020 the following announcement from the Australian Esperanto Association appeared: -19 pandemic, all local club meetings are suspended until further notice. A number of local groups have organised online meetings instead, /aea.esperanto.org.au/2020/05/>, viewed on April 25, 2021) On the other hand, there were some positive by conferences, etc. to the COVID-19 situation. The organizers of the 2020 International Medical Esperanto Congress, held online, decided to have it focus on COVIDCoV , treatment of COVIDof the COVID(<https://interrev.com/imek/>, viewed on April 25, 2021). The Australian Esperanto Association has been running a series of online lectures, and one of the (<http://aea.esperanto.org.au/news/>, viewed on April 25, 2021). The SES (Somero Esperanto Studado might have been a disappointment for some people, but its webpage made the following comment: anyone happy, but on the other (<https://ses.ikso.net/2020/en/>, viewed on April 25, 2021) This applies not only to Esperanto meetings, etc.; I, for one, have participated in more conferences than I normally would have (including the present one). One might finally mention the Esperanto House in Sydney. While it may not be closed at the time of writing (April 17, 2021), on its website during COVIDrelevant English page is at <https://esperantohouse.org.au/conditions-ofentry-during-covid-19/ >, viewed on April 17, 2021). These include the by now standard statements -like symptoms (sore throat, runny nose, persistent COVID-19 virus, some club meetings are suspended until further notice. Online alternatives may be in place. Please contact the organiser(s) before going t (<https://esperantohouse.org.au/events/ >, viewed on April 17, 2021). DISCUSSION OF COVID-19 IN ESPERANTO In addition, various aspects of COVID-19 have come up and been discussed much in Esperantolanguage media from various countries in the world. I will only bring up periodicals, leaving aside webpages and videos; even so, I can only give a sample of what has appeared, but I hope that it will some idea of the situation. COVID-19 is featured on the cover of issue 2 of 2020 of Kontakto Contact (Figure 1), the magazine of the Tutmonda Esperantista Junulara Organizo ( Worldwide Esperantist Youth Organization ). 313 - April 17-19, 2021 Figure 1: Issue 2020:2 of Kontakto (<https://uea.org/revuoj/kontakto/2020?elshutu=kto2_20>) Note also the cover of the December 2020 issue of Esperanto (Figure 2), published by the Universal Esperanto Association, which features several people, including L. L. Zamenhof, wearing masks, and lists among its articles one on COVID-19. Figure 2: December 2020 issue of Esperanto (<https://uea.org/revuoj/esperanto/2020?fermu>) 314 - April 17-19, 2021 The cover/first page of the May 2020 issue of Turka Stelo Turkish Star Turkish Esperanto community, has a picture Restu Hejme in Figure 3. Figure 3: Part of cover/first page of the May 2020 issue of Turka Stelo Underneath, it then says, in Turkish and Esperanto (some Esperanto publications are bilingual), While staying at home during the coronavirus days, in order not that you not be bored, we propose that you read the texts in the May issue of our Turkish Star magazine . The coronavirus appears on the cover/first page of a later issue of this magazine, that of March 2021 (Figure 4). 315 - April 17-19, 2021 Figure 4: Part of cover/first page of the March 2021 issue of Turka Stelo Turning now from covers to articles, in issue 41, p. 6 of Esperanto en Afrika Esperanto in Africa The final question and its answer are below: Togolando? alvokas respekti la diversajn preventajn disponojn, praktiki memdisciplinon, precipe nutri la flamojn de la solidareco kaj de Esperanto. Do you have a message for African Esperantists and for those who are in Togo? [...] With regard to fellow Esperantists in Africa, I invite them to respects all restrictive provisions of their respective countries. To the Esperantists living in Togo, I call on them to respect the various preventative measures, to practice self-discipline, and especially to nourish the flames of solidarity and of Esperanto. There is other material in this issue about COVID-19. A sadder example of Esperanto writing about COVID-19 is the obituary of the Esperantist Eduardo Larrouy in on p. 30 of issue 304 of La Ondo de Esperanto The Wave of Esperanto the disease. This issue has other material relating to COVID-19, including an article by Stanislav -10), and one by Paulo (pp. 11-12). It is a sign of how widespread the use of Esperanto is that there is a journal on numismatics in Esperanto, Esperanta Numismatiko Esperanto Numismatics , and it is a sign of how widespread the effects of the current pandemic are that it is mentioned even in an issue of this journal. The editorial on p. 3 of its 316 - April 17-19, 2021 legis multe da redakciaj enkondukoj kun pandemio de 2020(recently have read many editorial introductions with the same type of theme: the consequences of the terrible catastrophe caused by the pandemic of 2020(-2021). ). CONCLUSION We thus see that Esperantists, like most other people, have suffered from and had to deal with the current pandemic. On the one hand, the Esperanto movement has experienced negative effects, in addition to the obvious ones of sickness and death: conferences and other gatherings have not taken place, have been delayed, or have been conducted online. On the other hand, COVID-19 has provided material to be written about and read. As the pandemic goes on, it will probably continue to be discussed by Esperantists. 317