Makhachkala, March 13, 2015. Dagestani Languages Literary Salon opens in the House of Friendship as part of Dagestan native languages festival, a source in the institution told RIA Dagestan.

They will have the first meeting of the salon dedicated to the birthday of writer, poet and translator, one of the founders of modern Dagestani literature Efendi Kapiev on March 13 at the house’s studio hall.

The event is organized by the House of Friendship with the support of the republican ministry of national policy, Makhachkala department of education, Dagestan Union of Writers, the Dagestan Union of Journalists, and the Gamzatov National Library.

Dagestan will see festival events in various regions from February to November aiming to preserve the cultural and linguistic identity of Dagestani peoples, draw public attention to the problem of preserving native languages, promote the role of the mother tongue in shaping a person’s culture, and stimulate public interest in learning languages.