Gov. Gen. Mary Simon says Zelenskyy’s use of Inuktitut ‘brought tears to my eyes’
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the Inuktitut word “ajuinnata” to end his historic address in Canada’s House of Commons earlier this year, the chamber erupted in applause.
It was an emotional moment for the woman who taught him the phrase — Governor General Mary Simon.
“As an Inuk, it brought tears to my eyes because it was so important that the world could hear an Inuktitut word that was so significant in terms of the survival of our people, and continues to be a very important word in our culture,” Simon said in an interview with CBC’s Power & Politics.
In his address, Zelenskyy said Simon told him the word “ajuinnata” translates to “don’t give up, stay strong against all odds.”
“Ajuinnata Canada. Ajuinnata Ukraine,” he said to a standing ovation.
In a year-end interview with the CBC’s Power and Politics, Governor General Mary Simons discusses her reaction to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s use of an Inuktitut word in Canada’s Parliament.
Zelenskyy visited the capital in September as part of his ongoing campaign for more aid to stave off Russia’s full-blown assault on Ukraine.
Simon, who grew up in the Nunavik region of northern Quebec, said she’s heard from others about how proud they were to hear Zelenskyy take their word to heart.
“When the president used that word and described what it meant, it was very, very heartfelt,” she told host David Cochrane.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people in the North, and they’re so proud that such a president could have spoken, even if it’s only one word, but it was so important to him that he did that.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that during his meeting with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, she taught him an Inuktitut word – ajuinata – that means ‘Don’t give up,’
Simon said she taught him the word during a sit-down meeting at Rideau Hall on the morning of his visit to Ottawa, but didn’t know he was going to use the word in his address.
“I knew the word ‘ajuinnata’ really resonated with him and he wanted me to explain to him everything about the word. So I did that and I could tell he took it to heart, but he didn’t really say anything else,” she said.
“So when he was speaking in the House of Commons, I’m watching his speech and all of a sudden he starts talking about this very important word in our culture.
“And for him, I think it really touched him because he is never giving up and the word itself really describes him to a ‘T’ … He’s not the type of leader that is easily giving up.”
