Torwali

[aka Torwālī, Turvali, Dardu]

Classification: Indo-European

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vulnerable

resource

Vestiges of Torwali culture

Torwali is an endangered language spoken by over 100,000 people in the idyllic valley Swat-Kohistan in the Swat district of Pakistan. Torwali community is said to be the pre-Muslim era community living in Swat. It is of the Darada communities of Swat of ancient times. Like every indigenous language Torwali is threatened of extinction. Not only the language but its culture is also under serious threats posed by globalization and the so called modernity. A local organization Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi (IBT) or Institute for Education & Development (ibtswat.org) has long since undertaken the preservation, documentation and promotion of the Torwali language and culture.

Zubair Torwali

Bahrain Swat Pakistan

Jan. 1, 2006

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