The family and friends of Ugandan Asians residents and expatriates displaced in 1972 exodus home page.
Welcome to the home of the 2nd and 3rd generation of Ugandan Asian and African expatriates in Britain and world-wide. In 1972 approximately 70,000 of us with our parents and grandparents were forced into a refugee status and told to leave Uganda within 90 days. In the past 28 years very few have returned and most of the older generation originally from Uganda evolved and adapted to the stresses and cultural in the new countries. Indeed, it is the most successful community in terms of integration into the social and business infrastructure of the host communities. The Ugandan Asian is a species slightly different from other communities in having a greater appreciation of the values of freedom and free speech, being more open and interactive with all the different cultures and doctrines with which they came across. This in part could be explained by the entrepreneur and pioneer spirit of our grandfathers and their willingness to go out in search for opportunities and a better way of life. They were different from the Europeans who went to North and South America and Australia, in that they accepted the customs and practices of the local people, learning their language and ways in a way making a symbiotic relationship (contrary to the views of Idi Amin).
We would like to hear from all the Ugandan Expatriates and create a database of the families that originally fled in 1972 and their experiences and history date. Please write and send any relevant information (newspaper articles, pictures etc) to us, which will be used to create a historical database for the future generations.
All information will be kept private (if necessary and only known members will be allowed access to this area).
Fore more information or membership please write to:
Dr M. Virmani, Uganda Forum, 35 The Drive, Isleworth, Middlesex TW7 4AB, UK
Or E-mail to - ug@sistema.co.uk
Contents
Page - Ugandan Asians in UK.
Links Page - further info on Uganda.
Page - general and economic parameters on Uganda.
Page - general interests.
Page - historical interests.
Back to Uganda Forum Home page
ã sistema naturally beautiful - technology
•
The Uganda Asians in Sweden 25 Years after the Expulsion
http://www.ceifo.su.se/den1.htm
Other info related to Ugandan Asians:
The Ismailis have come from predominantly urban backgrounds and have been part of a clearly
defined sociological group. They have lived in distinct residential areas which had specific
parameters. Within Canada, the Ismailis have settled in urban areas with large
concentrations of clustered family groupings. They move as quickly as possible
from rented apartments to homes which they purchase just as they had done in
Uganda and other cities of East Africa. Ismailis of Canada maintain close ties
with other Ismaili communities throughout the world via a network of councils,
which provide explicit instruction regarding appropriate behavioral patterns.
The heads of the councils have discouraged smoking and drinking but encourage
western styles of dress. The local mosque functions as an important center of
community activity and perpetuates the cohesiveness of the group. Weekly prayer
meetings are a regular part of religious tradition as in daily prayer at home
and festive congregational celebrations in observance of special holy days.
Many Ismailis have stepped right into the free enterprise system of Canada
with successful ingenuity. Young Ismailis are being trained to pursue careers
in commercial businesses. There has been very active involvement of religious
leaders in the lives of young businessmen so that both the religious and the
business heritage of the Ismailis is preserved. The Ismailis appreciate the
freedom and the opportunity to practice their traditional life-styles within
Canada and seek to identify themselves as patriotic citizens. Challenges of
economic opportunities within recessionary business climates are confronting
young Ismailis who seek good jobs and positions of responsibility. The tensions
of resettlement do not appear to threaten the identity or strength of the
Ismaili community. Economic hardship poses major problems. The skills,
ingenuity, and commitment are keeping the Ismaili community vibrant and growing
together to face the future.
JINJA, UGANDA
The Ugandan city of Jinja sits at the headwaters of the Nile River on Lake Victoria. This geographical fact led to the ascent of Jinja from small fishing village to Uganda's industrial heart. By the mid-1950s, the town had a hydroelectric dam, a developed service infrastructure, and a communication system fed by boat, rail, air, and road.
Despite this affluent base, Jinja could not escape the decline triggered by Idi Amin's expulsion of the Asian community from Uganda in 1972 and by civil war. By the end of the decade, the economy and industry were devastated, and investment nearly non-existent. Although new investment has flooded into Uganda since President Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Movement (NRM) took power in 1986, most of it has gone to the capital, Kampala.
The same infrastructure that served Jinja in the 1950s is coming under further pressure as villagers move to town in search of work — swelling the already high numbers of unemployed. Even when services are available, many people — with an average per capita income of only US$215 — cannot afford them.
Environmental degradation
Poverty has had far-reaching effects on the environment. The council has not built public pit latrines because there is running water available. Yet many people with access to water cannot afford to pay for the service, which means they are forced to dump their waste in public places.
Even the search for extra cash has burdened the environment. Many people have turned to rudimentary agricultural practices as a short-term generator of revenue, and have begun cultivating the wetlands that border the town. This practice, in turn, threatens the fish breeding grounds of Lake Victoria.
Hindus Return to Uganda
- - - - - - - - - - - - - After 22 years of Exile, Asians Return to a Different Uganda Sub Government and People Extend Warm Welcome As Country Recovers from Vicious Civil War In 1972 President ...
http://www.spiritweb.org/Hindu...ay/94-12-Return_to_Uganda.html
Sub Government and People Extend Warm Welcome As Country Recovers from Vicious Civil War
by Prabha Prabhakar Bhardwaj, Nairobi, Kenya
In 1972 President Idi Amin gave the 80,000-strong Asian community of Uganda ninety days in which to leave the country, after which their businesses and homes would be handed over to native Ugandans. The shocked Asians numbly packed amidst sporadic violence and looting and quietly departed for the United Kingdom or India. The few who stayed behind, numbering less than a hundred, sent their families away. Asians, 65% Hindu, had been settled in Uganda since 1920.
Amin (who once remarked that "human flesh is more salty than even zebra") held onto power for seven years, during which hundreds of thousands of native Ugandans died in political strife. His successor, Obote, led a similar reign of terror. It was only when President Musevani gained power in 1986 and ended years of civil war that any sense of normalcy returned.
Musevani's 1992 offer for the Ugandan Asians to return was met with skepticism. But Asians were pleasantly surprised by the congenial treatment meted out to them by Musevani. Government records had not been destroyed. Just by locating the title deeds and confirming the original owner's identity, confiscated properties and businesses were handed back. Five thousand proper-ties, including several Hindu temples, have been reclaimed. The time allotted to reclaim the properties expired in 1994 and the unclaimed balance (20%) was auctioned off. There are approximately 2,500 Hindus now in Kampala, the capital city.
The New Ugandans
The present population of Asians are not the same people who fled in 1972. Those people established themselves and are prospering in other parts of the world. They do not wish to give up that life and return to live in a not entirely stable Uganda. In their hearts, there is a fear syndrome. Except for a few, the original residents are repossessing their properties, selling them to newcomers and returning to wherever they carved a niche for themselves for the last two decades.
Some who are staying now are like Mr. Rajni Bakrania. He left in 1984 and became a British citizen. He returned to Kampala in 1993, not as a citizen but as an expatriate, and is working with a construction company. He has always been a social worker and is a staunch Hindu.
Good Race Relations
Hindus I spoke with credited Musevani with creating a climate for them to work and prosper in. The majority feel that the local population approves of the Asians' return, because Asians have brought a new prosperity to the war-racked country.
Bakrania has not encountered racial discrimination. According to him, Uganda is a thousand times better than neighboring Kenya which is full of violence and insecurity especially for Asians [see Hinduism Today, September, 1994].
I could not initially accept all the good things Asians said in connection with race relations. Then I myself talked to several Africans and did not get any negative feedback. The animosity which is rampant in Kenya is absent among the masses in Uganda, Tanzania and other African countries I have visited. I traveled alone through Uganda by car all the way. I interacted with many people and was pleasantly surprised at the positive and healthy attitude of the locals.
A major factor in the race relations is that the original tribes of Uganda are sensible, educated and mild people, unlike the more hot-headed Kikuyu of Kenya.
If there is any resentment, it is felt by landlords who have been removed from businesses and houses. But they also admit that properties were neglected once Asians were gone. The majority of locals also resent the fact that only Amin's clan and a handful of Muslims benefited from the expulsion. They sympathize with the Asians as having received unjust treatment.
The family of Bharat Gheewala, Hinduism Today franchise owner in the UK, was established in Uganda and ejected along with others in 1972. Bharat, who has been back to Uganda several times recently, said the local's attitude was "very warm, cordial and encouraging. There has always been a large section of Africans who appreciated the Asians. They could see the prosperity of Kenya resulting from Asian business development."
The popular sentiment expressed by black Ugandans is that they never felt comfortable with these properties and businesses. One lady teacher said, "It was like living on borrowed land, we never felt the sense of belonging. The fear was always lurking that one day Asians shall come back and claim what is rightfully theirs." Maybe this explains the lack of maintenance and general deterioration of buildings and factories.
One development worker expressed his joy at the new face for Kampala where hotels are now renovated and the tourist flow has started. Many do not care who owns what, as long as the country's economy is stable and the living conditions for the average Ugandan are good. Mr. Samuel Mpimbaza Hasakha, a broadcast journalist with Radio Uganda, respects Indians and is very happy with the visible progress made after their return. He said, "I like their style. They manage well on a small profit margin. I am overjoyed on their return."
Those Who Stayed Behind
About one hundred Asians never left the country. Mrs. Sharda Nandlal Karia, present Head of Religion of the Sanatan Dharma Mandal temple in Kampala, is one of them. She says, "We had no problems of any kind after the majority left. There were no restrictions of any nature. We could travel and exchange money freely. The life was very good after the initial turmoil. There were no robberies or violence of any type [the civil war took place largely in the countryside]. This is a proof that there was no racial hatred." She felt safe, but sent her teenage daughters away for their education. Mrs. Karia never felt the need to abandon her ancestral home, and the authorities never bothered her.
Babhubhai Ruparel, a third-generation Ugandan, also stayed back in 1972. He says a vacuum was created after the exodus. Survival was difficult, but the Africans were sympathetic. Things improved after business licenses were issued in 1975.
The Hindu Temples
Only two temples remained in Hindu possession after the 1972 exodus. All others were taken over by the local people and the authorities. In Kampala, one temple was left with Hindus. The second, the Swaminarayan Temple just a few hundred yards away, was occupied and used as a hall. It has been repossessed and is under renovation, but not yet open.
Remarkably, the temples were not destroyed. "They preserved the temples after 1972," Gheewala reports. "The temples were never disrupted by Amin's soldiers, even though there was a lot of destruction all around. I do not know of one murthi which was damaged."
The other major towns of Jinja and Torro each have an active temple. The temple at Entebbe has been repossessed, but it will take some time before it becomes functional. The Vishvakarma Temple in Jinja has been occupied by the Muslim Tablic sect. They are refusing to vacate the premises. However, the Satya Narayan Temple in Jinja has resumed normal functioning with a full-time priest, Pandit B.R. Bhat, in residence from July, 1994.
When I visited the temple in September, 1994, large-scale renovations were taking place. There is a temple committee in place under the chairmanship of Mr. Jayantibhai Daliya which is receiving good support from the 250 local Hindus. The Madhwani family is instrumental in the restoration of this temple.
Pandit Bhat is the first priest after more than twenty years to conduct the prayers at the Jinja temple. Only four or five Hindus were left behind in 1972, thus the temple could not be functional. The temple's shrines to Ambaji, Shankar Bhagwan, and Shitla Mata were unharmed. The local people used the hall for gatherings and general evening activities such as disco dancing. The large compound of the temple premises was used for habitation.
In the outer compound, there is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi where the community celebrated Gandhi Jayanti on October 2nd in a big way. Significantly, it was not damaged at all. Part of Gandhi's ashes were placed in the Nile River in Uganda.
Present and Future Trends
The present government of Uganda is secular, and there is freedom of religion. Uganda is 66% Christian (half Catholic, half Protestant), 15% Muslim and 19% of tribal religion. The government is supportive of all the Hindu celebrations.
Great saints and gurus such as Morari Bapu, Swami Satyamitranand and Pramukh Swami Maharaj visit regularly. In the recent past Gayatri Pariwar from Haridwar held a very successful ashwamedha yajna.
Priest Trambaklal Harishankar Bhatt is from Rajkot, India. He has been serving the SDM temple in Kampala for the last two years, during which the Hindu population has doubled. Four to five hundred Hindus regularly attend the temple.
The returning Hindus come straight to the temple from the airport to prayfully thank God for their safe return. Priest Bhatt remarked, "The Hindus have faith, but are materialistic. That is why they are coming back. There is a need to provide more religious motivation. I am constantly working towards that goal."
The faith of most Hindus is intact. They went to the UK as paupers, and are now thriving. Some people were shaken up for a while and thought, "Oh God, why has this happened to me?" They prayed for strength to recover from the shock of being thrown out of their homeland. Their prayers were answered and they recovered. In reality, their suffering caused them to pray with increased fervor and devotion.
Currently children are being brought up with all the rituals and traditional value system intact. Earlier, there were community activities to teach children about the religion and vernacular languages. As yet there is no organized religious or cultural institution. The families teach the children at home. Overall the future for Uganda's Hindus looks very bright indeed.
Why Amin Kicked The Asians Out
Idi Amin offered several justifications for forcefully expelling the Asians. Regardless of their validity, it is indisputable that the exodus made Amin an instant hero all over East Africa. Only later did the locals conclude it was misguided-first because of the disastrous impact on the economy, and second because the only ones to gain were Amin's soldiers.
Just a few days before he announced the expulsion of Asians from Uganda, Amin detailed his complaints: "Asians have always wanted to make the biggest possible profit with the least investment. They milked the cow, but they did not feed it to yield more milk. They prevented African farmers and businessmen from learning their skills and sabotaged the economy by profiteering, hoarding currency, frauds and similar offenses."
"You cut your community off completely," he went on a few days later, "You do not cooperate or join together with the Africans in social activity either here or in Nairobi, or in any place. You are sabotaging the economy by violating the income tax laws. You keep two sets of books-one in Gujarati or Hindustani which tax officials cannot read. You are smuggling goods out of the country and sending money illegally out of Uganda to the UK and other countries."
Asians sent overseas for training doctors, lawyers and engineers at government expense never returned, or joined private practice or business when they did, he claimed. He spoke with bitterness about the Asian doctors who refused to take any posts in the up-country.
In December, 1971, Amin's rhetoric took a decidedly personal tone. "There is the question of your refusal to integrate with Africans in the country. It is particularly painful that in the seventy years which have elapsed since the first Asians came to Uganda, the Asian community has continued to live in a world of its own to the extent that the Africans in this country have, for example, hardly been able to marry Asian girls. There are only six mixed couples in Uganda. The matter becomes even more serious when attempts by Africans within Uganda to fall in love and marry Asian girls have in one or two cases even resulted in the Asian girls committing suicide when it was discovered by their parents that they were in love and intended to marry Africans."
It is widely known in Uganda itself that Amin was interested in an Asian woman from a very prominent family, and had proposed marriage to her-even though he had four wives already. Amin took the impossibility of this arrangement as a personal affront-and it became a major motivation for his historic dismissal of Asians.
Class, Not Colour, Makes An Exploiter
http://www.africanews.com/obbo/article105.html
From The East African, August 11-17, 1997
By Charles Onyango-Obbo
------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the Author | Selected Articles | Home | Book Information | Talk Back | Help
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last week, August 4, was the 25th anniversary of the expulsion of Asians from Uganda by Gen. Idi Amin. Amin announced that he had a dream while in Tororo in which God, or someone like that, told him to chase away the Asian exploiters and hand over the economy to Ugandans.
The Guiness Book of Record reports that Tororo has the world record for the highest number of thunder days. An average of 251 days of thunder days per year was recorded for the 10-year period 1967-76. It is likely that this had more to do with the heavenly signs that appeared to Amin in connection with the Asians, than God himself (or as evidence now being discovered by feminists suggests, God herself).
The nearly 80,000-strong Asian community was given 90 days to leave the country. What Amin's government called the "Econonic War" had began. In 1982, with Amin gone, a law to compensate the Asians and restore their stolen property was passed. The economic war formally ended; and the Kenyans were the victors.
The economy collapsed under Amin's misrule. Uganda became an appendage of the Kenyan economy. Factories moved to western Kenya to better feed Uganda's needs.
The Asians have returned and are beginning to dominate the economy again. But Ugandans are also coming to terms with Amin. One of Amin's many wives, Madina, returned and lives in Kampala. She found her estate had been stolen, much like that of the Asians her husband chased. When the story appeared in the newspapers, President Yoweri Museveni called offering to help her get her houses back. Amin's kids play basketball at the YMCA grounds. Apart from journalists, no one bothers them.
Nevertheless, many people, particularly those who took over Asian property during Amin's time, notice the Asians and speak out against them. While the majority of Ugandans condemn Amin for the murder of anything up to 500,000 during his tyranny, very many people still hail the former dictator for kicking out the Asians.
Ugandans hated the Asians because, they claimed, they were exploiters who siphoned the country's wealth abroad. They were racists who treated the owners of the land badly, and didn't mix with the indigenous communities. This resentment is still very much alive. Inspite of the hostilties, it is doubtful that the Asians can again be expelled like in 1974.
Over the years a sizeable indigenous pro-Asian constituency has developed. It would oppose such action. Many people have learnt that rich people tend to behave the same, no matter their race. The Ugandan rich class which followed the Asians didn't behave different. They too cheated; stashed money in foreign accounts; treated poor Ugandans badly; and retreated to the wealthy suburbs where they lived walled off from the ordinary folk.
And because the economic war was an unmitigated disaster, many Ugandans came away with a lot of humility from their failure. Wealth is no longer the great mystery it used to be for the native Ugandans at the time Amin gave them a taste of it. Unlike in the past, today many of them own substantial properties in the city and towns up-country. The rich class is multi-racial, not exclusively Asian.
Amin's ways, however, somehow live on. To be called an "economic saboteur" in Idi's time was to be condemned to death. Last week, Vice President Dr Specioza Kazibwe was warning "rinderpest vaccination campaign saboteurs." Minister of state for Education Brig. Jim Muhwezi was again condemning "UPE [universal primary education] saboteurs. President Museveni has been threatening to arrest the same UPE saboteurs since July last year. He hasn't yet done so. But a "polio vaccination saboteur" was arrested in Mbale. Mbale is a very short drive from Tororo. Perhaps Idi actually saw something there in 1974.
Indian PM unveils Gandhi statue at source of Nile
MENU Express your views on issues in the news. Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral unveiled on Sunday a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the source of the Nile in Uganda. Gujral travelled 80 km ...
http://www.tbwt.com/articles/global/global41.htm
They Came to Canada
In early August, 22 years ago, the ruthless Ida Amin, then ruler of Uganda took a cruel and heartless step. He gave all Asians living in Uganda 90 days to leave the country most of them had called home for generations. Some 80,000 people found themselves stateless. "At first we thought it was a joke," says Zia Haque, ...
http://www.icciss.com/history/first.html site not loading !!