For this they used language. Why? Because language conveys values almost invisible and transports culture. Without the language how would you read a book? How would you understand a song?
So only speak English, don’t speak your Mother tongue. Don’t sing your songs, don’t tell your stories, don’t learn in your language. If you disconnect people from their culture and rob their identity, you weaken them.
Today the former oppressors make demands on having washed themselves free from this mindset. Nobody would ever think like this again, we are all equal, right?
Nevertheless, we, as former colonialists, still show these behaviors. You don’t speak English? You cannot be that smart anyway. Have you come to our country? Then you have to speak our language, take our values and abolish your culture.
As strongly as we reaffirm that we don’t think that any culture is less than another as strongly we still act like white saviours showing the migrants how to live right.
On the one hand, integration is important to live in a peaceful community. And language is a big part of it because without speaking the same language communication is not possible. On the other hand, we should ask ourselves why this integration needs to be only one-sided and complete. Why should people who already gave up their home and their job also have to give up on their culture and mother tongue?
Are we really thinking about how to best structure this multicultural society or rather looking down from our position of power and thinking: Pff if you want to stay here, you need to work for it? Are we too lazy to even lift a single finger for integration?
Yes, if you live in, let’s say, Germany you should be able to speak German but you don’t need to give up on your mothertongue. Why don’t we for a change also learn about the cultures and languages of the migrants. Because then and only then a multicultural society can be truly the enrichment that it is always promised to be.