BET KANU means the House of Creation. Etymologically “Bet” is the Akkadian word for “house” and is used today by Syriac speakers. Kanu is also an Akkadian word which has a connection with the Classical Syriac words of Kana/Kano and Kiyana/Kiyono that refers to “creation”.
A group of friends noticed the loss of the spoken Syriac language in diaspora, to the extent that UNESCO designated it as a "severely endangered language", found the need to create a change.
In order to help Syriac succeed in the digital age, BET KANU was established in 2017 to build a foundation to advance the main dialects of the Syriac language (Eastern/Western).
With a dedicated BET KANU Center in the homeland, a dozen of our local talented designers, animators, and developers along with volunteers in the diaspora, create multi-media products and modern resources that Syriac lacks. This center, more importantly, provides hope through job opportunities and youth empowerment in times of war.
BET KANU’s mission is to build a foundation to advance the endangered Surit/Surayt dialects of the Syriac language. This goal is achieved by creating all types of media-products such as animated songs, mobile apps, websites, cartoon series, books and more—for children and adults alike.
This track focuses on creating songs, tales, and cartoons to preserve our language and revive our culture.
This track focuses on creating various digital tools to make Syriac linguistic resources easily accessible online for all ages.
This track focuses on producing modern books utilizing new educational methodologies as well as republishing classics digitally and print.
