The year 2005 marked not only the Centenary of the French Law on Separation of Religion and State but also the centenary of the First International Esperanto Congress. Historically many Humanists supported Esperanto as the new world language. Dominique Simeone writes about the language.

Some History

Louis-Lazare Zamenhof (1859 – 1917) who proposed Esperanto as a world language was born in Poland. He learnt Greek, Latin and English and also spoke French and German. After leaving school he learnt more languages because there were Russian, Polish, and Jewish communities in his hometown. From early childhood, Zamenhof became sensitive to violence and differences amongst people.

Zamenhof thought that the reason for misunderstandings amongst people was the absence of a common language. In 1887 he wrote in Letter about the origin of Esperanto “I was educated as an idealist: I learnt that all men are brothers, but at the same time on the street and in the court yard, I feel that humans do not

exist – only Russians, Poles, Germans, Jews and so on. This fact troubled me throughout my childhood; but a lot of people laughed at my distress, caused in fact by the world”.

First Congress

The main rules about Esperanto were decided in 1905 at the first International Esperanto Congress in Boulogne- Sur-Mer, France. We celebrated in 2005 the centenary, and on this occasion the Esperantists continue to advance the cause of this unique language in a peaceful, friendly and fraternal way. Esperanto inspired hopes for the future in many hearts. In fact Esperanto means hope!

In 1901 a Swedish blind man named Thilander proposed to propagate Esperanto among the blind. As a consequence, in 1906, blind persons participated at the Geneva Esperanto Congress and published a booklet in Braille. At the same time, Bayol published a book for the Red Cross on how to treat the wounded and in 1921, the Red Cross recognized Esperanto. In 1902 the International Antimilitarist Congress of The Hague voted a resolution in favor of Esperanto.

The positive feelings and optimism that was reigning amongst Esperantists of the age made E.Boirac say “Esperanto will be the Latin of democracy”. After the creation of Universala Esperanto Asocio in 1908, Zamenhof said “When people understand each other, they would stop hating each other ... Esperanto gives them the means to communicate without any hegemonical relations”. But this humanist movement was hurt by the wars and the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century. Ulrich Lins wrote a book about it in his The dangerous language at the end of the 20th Century.

2005 Conference

The Centenary Conference of the Esperanto Association was held in Zagreb (2 – 9 July 2005), at the same time as the IHEU Congress! The Conference issued a Declaration which

• Condemns all acts of terrorism such as the ones in London, and all wars.
• Demands the use of dialogue and negotiation as the means to solve conflicts, and application of the Geneva convention to all prisoners, including those at Guantanamo Bay
• Insists again that countries that have not already signed the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer or Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction
• Opposes slavery and the use of women and children as goods.
• Defends human rights for everyone, including imprisoned Esperantists.

The Declaration demonstrates the continuity in the movement, from the beginning to the present times: an engagement with peace and a just world order free of divisions. The French Freethinkers Congress of July 2005 also voted a resolution in support of Esperanto. The resolution highlighted the huge possibilities of this language for the free world and for free thought.

After a hundred years since the first Esperanto Congress, Esperantists, freethinkers and humanists are still on the same wavelength. And Esperanto remains the unique international language that was designed to be a vehicle and a bridge to the new democratic and peaceful world that we all aspire to.

Dominique Simeone is head of Commission for Esperanto of IHEU member organization the French Freethinkers.

See also: IHEU’s Statement to the April 2006 Esperanto Congress