Multicultural society has failed, says Chancellor Merkel

I have been following the debate on integration, multiculturalism and
learning German with kin and greater interest and i can't afford and
or wait to agree with all of you that multiculturalism is the only way
forward in this global village we leave in today and anyone hoping and
or wishing to fight this tread, is fighting a war he or she will never
win.
Am also of the view that great powers and countries can among other
things extend they influence and marketability through propagating
aggressively but sometimes in a friendly manner their language, the
former " aggressiveness " was the order of the day in the colonial
times like in the case of the English people who forced other members
of the United kingdom and in USA to forget and bury their local
languages. its was equally true for Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic,
French and English in Africa and world over,the good thing in Africa
most countries retained their languages although they still attach
less value on them than the colonial language.

But its equally very true for less democratic powers today like China
which is using both aggressive and friendly means to raise the
influence of their language in the world today, the aggressive means
is used in Chinese territories and in Africa they are putting allot of
money in a more friendly way to advance they language. Today there is
a school of thought that the next world war will be which language is
spoken most cross continents

To-date the English and French speaking countries have gone for the
later " friendly " and propaganda methods through the British council,
Alliance France and United States Agency etc.

With the global competitiveness in the world market and influence the
best weapon now is non other than countries fighting for a greater
share of they language spoken world over and not only in they
countries and i think that is what German should go for.

I may also agree with German Chancellor Angela Merkel when she told a
group of young conservatives "that those who did not learn German
immediately upon arrival were not welcome." But what i don't agree or
may be the Chancellor is out of touch with is what is happening on
ground in her countries to help new immigrants learn German.

But as Professor Katja Cantone a linguist put it that " I cannot
accept certain conditions made by politicians who do not know anything
about language acquisition," may be what the professor of German as a
second language did not do was give us the best solution in your
publication to speaking good German or in fact another language.

I am in total agreement with Boris Zaffarana, spokesman of the German
Association of Adult Education Centers that there can be barriers for
immigrants wanting to learn German, and this is what i want to address
from my point of view having been here for the last one year and
about. during this time I have seen people who have been in this
country for up to 12 years years but can't speak nor write German.

But this is partly not a blame you should put only to the immigrants
but also to government for not doing enough and or even doing nothing
to help the new comers who have been leaving on social service and
want to learn German, in fact this in itself has even contribute to
high crime levels in immigrants families but the crime issue is a
subject for another time and am ready to debate it with the
authorities if called upon.

Ferry Pausch, director of the foundation told Deutsche Welle. said
that "If you speak German, and you speak it well, then all
possibilities are open to you." but there are questions which Pausch
and Pro. Cantone have not helped us answer ie

* Can someone simply read in a classroom a language and speak well?

* Are they aware that here in Mönchengladbach where i have stayed
for over a year that people have been here over 10 years but are not
allowed and or helped to go to school?

* What is your take on the impact of holding new comers in caged
camps for years and years and therefore not allowing them to associate
with the language owners on learning,speaking a language and above all
speaking it well?

* Whats your take on the impact of refusing new comers who are
willing to offer voluntary work ( not paid work ) to and or for the
good of the community on learning a language and social integration.

I have talked to most of the local non government organisations here
and the answer has been the same that they are not allowed by
authorities who are still waiting their immigration discussion.

I have posed those questions to people to socialarmt and foreign
office here and this is what they tell me " that its this government
policy not allow all people whose discussion to stay in German has not
been taken not to go to school " yes thats may be good policy but what
about people who have been in this country for more than one year and
they have never got any discussion, yes and what about those who have
been here for more than one to 12 years and have got " call them bad "
discussion but still here and leaving on social funding.

In my first paragraph i talked about the need for world powers to
encourage, propagate and market they language across boarders in fact
the last time i read on the German foreign affairs website, there was
a very big campaign to promote German language not only in German or
Europe but also Africa and world over at even at very big cost.

For instance, five “Deutschmobiles” are touring Poland promoting the
German language among teachers, parents, pupils and students.

Statement from the wibesite

"With the campaign “German – Language of Ideas” Federal Foreign
Minister Guido Westerwelle aims to promote learning German as a
foreign language abroad. Minister of State Pieper introduced the
campaign at the Federal Foreign Office."

So if this is for real and not political gimmick as my friend
Professor Katja Cantone a linguist put it that he " cannot accept
certain conditions made by politicians" so why not begin with people
who are freely and readily available with you here by offering them
and or even forcing them to learn German.

I was also made aware that there is a fear that some people after
learning German may be forced to leave German after getting a bad
discussion, but assuming that's the case what is bad with people
learning your language and then go back to their homeland if need be?
let us assume you were a German tourist and you meet one Bidi who was
one time in duetschland somewhere in Zambia or Tanzania and he speaks
to you in German and even acts as your tour-guide i think that would
be an addition to your tour and an extension of German interests.

There is also another school of thought that when people learn good
German, assimilated and or fully associated with the local communities
and their cases are not successful then it may be very difficult to
remove them from the country, now how does this reconcile with the
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's statement to young conservatives
"that those who did not learn German immediately upon arrival were not
welcome" or is it about politics and voter constituencies meals,
otherwise you can't eat your cake and again have it at the sometime.

My only prayers to Mrs Maria Boehmer, Germany's integration
commissioner, who rightly puts it that "If you don't speak German
fluently you can only be an onlooker in this country" is that there is
allot we can all do mostly by addressing the above questions i have
raised above in here, because my experience in learning and helping
people learn foreign language more so speaking and speaking it well,
its done by associating, communicating and above all leaving with
people who speak that particular dialect neither of which is
encourage, promoted and or provided for as soon as people come to this
country as Mrs Merkel would wish.

In cities with "parallel societies". this can't happen because,
assimilation and integration comes from acceptance of foreigners as
equal human beings with equal rights, enforcement of rational laws
which protect the rights of everyone equally, In countries where
police turn a blind eye to crimes against minorities and immigrants,
where foreigners are segregated and viewed as "the other" in every
possible aspect of society, where immigrants and minorities do not
have equal opportunities for jobs, housing, where immigrants who are
citizens cannot run for office and stand a chance of winning so that
they can fully participate in society, there will never be
integration,multiculturalism and harmony.

Indeed for me i can now write more German than i can speak, thinks to
the Internet and my friends i have been chatting with, More so Simon
and Robert i have had an agreement to help learn more and better
English and Swahili as they help me with German and for that, i speak
far less because we hardly meet and talk.

In that way politician have better choices and all choices are freely
available the onus is no them

KK Bidi Halid
kbid29@mail.com.
The Author is
A visiting resident of Möchengladback City

I agree with David Penney, at least Germany and France are discussing the problem. I have just seen a program on France 24 that discussed, at great leangth and honesty the issue, that program would never have been shown in Britain on any station, cencorship is a real problem. If I want to know what is really happening I watch a foreign station.

I don't see why Europe needs immigration now we are united.of course multiculturalism doesn't work look at Robert Putnam's work the more diverse an area the more divided and unsettled it is. europe needs to halt it's external immigration and rely on our internal 500 million population. current immigrants need to integrate. simple as.