Uzbek Language Takes Center Stage at Children's Museum's Global Goal Party

Summary: As Houston welcomes visitors for the FIFA World Cup, the Children's Museum of Houston has created space for local communities to share their languages and traditions. Through Uzbek-language story times featuring Eng Zo'r Chumoli (The Best Ant), educator Oysha Siddik hopes to help children take pride in their heritage while introducing other families to Uzbek culture. The event is part of the museum's Global Goal Party celebrating the cultures represented on football's biggest stage.

On Saturday, June 20, the Children’s Museum of Houston hosted Uzbek-language story times at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., giving local families a rare opportunity to see their language represented in one of Houston’s most visited cultural spaces.

The event is part of the Children's Museum of Houston's Global Goal Party, a World Cup-inspired celebration, sponsored by Chevron, highlighting the cultures and languages of countries playing in Houston during the tournament. Throughout the day, families participated in international story times, cultural activities and performances representing communities from around the world, including Uzbekistan.

Leading the reading was Oysha Siddik and Dilnavoz Akhmatova. Both girls, who were born in Tashkent and Samarkand respectively, selected Eng Zo’r Chumoli (The Best Ant), a bilingual Uzbek-English picture book written and illustrated by Dinara Muminova, an award-winning Uzbek author, educator and specialist in early literacy. The story follows two ants who discover that they can accomplish more together than they can alone.

“This book is perfect for Houston families because even though it is written in Uzbek, it shares universal stories and themes so that non-Uzbeks can relate as well,” Siddik said.

The event offered Siddik more than an opportunity to read a book. It allowed young people to see their heritage reflected in public life.

"Seeing the Uzbek language being shared makes me proud of our country," she said. "When I was younger, I was often self-conscious telling people I was from Uzbekistan because they had never heard of it.

Children’s Museum Houston Faithful Friends Project Manager Heather Smith said the story times align closely with the museum’s mission of encouraging cultural understanding from an early age.

“It is so important to expose children to languages and cultures outside of their own to increase their knowledge, respect and interest in the wonderful diversity of their Houston friends and neighbors,” Smith said.

Children waved Uzbek flags, posed with copies of Eng Zo'r Chumoli (The Best Ant) and gathered alongside family members and museum staff during the story times. The event brought together multiple generations of Houston's Uzbek community while introducing other families to Uzbek language and culture.

For Akhmatova, the reading demonstrated the value of sharing culture with others while encouraging young people to take pride in their own heritage. She hopes younger children leave with an appreciation for cultural diversity and the importance of sharing their own heritage.

"I hope they understand that every culture is special and deserves to be celebrated," she said. "Seeing one culture celebrated can encourage people to respect and represent their own culture."

The story times are open to all families. Admission to the museum is required, though free family passes are available through Houston’s Uzbek community.