Atheist Alliance International meets & greets Esperanto-speaking atheists

My Words in Esperanto

Written by Tanya Smith, 09 May 2012

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I co-founded Ateista Tutmonda Esperanto-Organizo (ATEO) in 1987, Esperanto's centennial year. Others are now carrying on the work and forging links with non-Esperantist organizations.

Tanya Smith of Atheist Alliance International met the vice-president of ATEO, Anna Löwenstein, and wrote a greeting in English which Anna subsequently translated into Esperanto and published in our journal Ateismo.  The translation is in the graphic to the left. Here is Tanya's original message:

"Hello atheist esperantists! As is common with native English speakers I am quite bad with other languages (it's embarrassing really), so I appreciate ATEO's translation of this greeting from me. I understand that the key goal of Esperanto is to facilitate communication and cooperation between people of different backgrounds, with the intention that this will foster goodwill and harmony on our small planet. It's a noble goal, and esperantists who are also atheists may appreciate that Atheist Alliance International has similar objectives. By challenging religion and its privileged place in society we seek a secular world that is fair to all people, and ultimately more peaceful. For all our sakes, I hope the efforts of both communities are successful in fostering a better world."