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 is creating 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 will host 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 will participate in international story times, cultural activities and performances representing communities from around the world, including Uzbekistan.

Leading the readings will be Oysha Siddik, who 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.

For Siddik, the event offers more than reading a book. It allows young people see their heritage reflected in public life.

“As a kid, nobody knew what Uzbekistan was,” she said. “I want kids from Uzbekistan to be proud of their language and culture and to share it with others.”

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.

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.