This week marked the 49th anniversary of the expulsion of over 60,000 Ugandan Asians from Uganda by the brutal dictator Idi Amin. 49 years later, in the midst of a global pandemic and an ever-changing world where sadly immigration continues to dominate the headlines for the wrong reasons, it is ironic that this expulsion narrative is relevant now more than ever before.
It was on 4th August 1972, when Amin declared that Britain would need to take on responsibility for British subjects of Asian origin, accusing them of "sabotaging Uganda's economy and encouraging corruption". As thousands of Ugandan Asians will remember, Amin gave all British subjects just 90 days - up to 8th November - to uproot and leave the country where they were born and considered their home.
On 9th August 1972, Amin expanded his policy to include citizens of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The position of the 23,000 Asians who had been granted Ugandan citizenship (and in particular those who held no other citizenship) was less clear. Not originally included, on 19th August, they were seemingly added to the list, before being re-exempted three days later following international protest. Many chose to leave rather than endure further intimidation, with only 4,000 known to have stayed.
Till this day, there are varying claims amongst historians on what triggered Amin to expel Ugandan Asians in the first place, ranging from an estranged dream or in retaliation to Britain’s treatment of Africa. However, it still remains one of the rare times in history where the actions of one single man, effected the livelihoods of so many.
Those with British, Indian or other non-Ugandan passports were forced to leave behind everything, taking with them just the clothes on their backs. Responsibility for them became a global game of political football. In England, advertisements in Leicester warned Ugandans not to go there as there was no housing and no jobs. People ended up as far afield as Canada, India, Australia and the US.
Here in the UK, Edward Heath’s Conservative government gave its firm commitment that it was Britain’s duty to help. Other world leaders simply refused to help. But Uganda – and India’s – loss has been Britain’s gain.
The rest as they say is history. The tale of Ugandan Asians in Britain is one that makes me proud, particularly when I see how much the new generation of British Indians of Ugandan origin have excelled. In 49 years, we have come far, and I hope that our community continues to pay Britain back for what she has given us. Former Prime Minister David Cameron referred to us as, “one of the most successful groups of immigrants to any country anywhere in history.” We became the model immigrant community, used as an example of how immigration can be successful.
In a short space of time, many of those who had to flee Uganda have seen amazing levels of success, from family-run businesses becoming major global trading companies and dominating the Rich Lists in the UK, to the boardrooms of FTSE 100 firms, the Ugandan Asians have woven themselves into the fabric of British life. Notable Ugandan Asians in key posts include Tushar Morzaria (Group Finance Director at Barclays), Baroness Shriti Vadera (Chair, Santander), Nitin Ganatra (Actor) and of course our Home Secretary Priti Patel. Our Parliament has effectively become Uganda’s second chamber, with eight Parliamentarians of Ugandan origin.
What has particularly helped is that a lot of those who were expelled from Uganda were entrepreneurs; they understood business and its risks and that has allowed them to prosper elsewhere. What I have found in my role as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Uganda is that those same entrepreneurial skills are now playing a vital role in developing trade links between the UK and Uganda.
The UK is already the largest cumulative investor in Uganda and I’ve been amazed at how many companies and individuals have approached me over the last few years wanting to trade in Uganda, many of them Ugandan Asians. There’s a real acknowledgement that post Brexit and post Covid-19, Africa is a continent of great potential, and with the right set of circumstances – including the support of UK Export Finance being doubled, Britain – and British Indians – can play a huge part in developing Africa’s prosperity.
President Museveni – who was re-elected earlier this year – has transformed Uganda from the ruins of Amin. Pre Covid, Uganda was one of the fastest developing economies in Africa. In 1997, whilst commemorating the 25th anniversary of the expulsion, Museveni travelled to London to address thousands of Uganda Asians at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. Here he apologised for Amin’s forthcomings and claimed it pushed back Uganda’s economic standing by a generation. He invited Ugandan Asians back and promised to support families reclaim and restart their businesses.
Many of the Ugandan Asians in Britain have retained a great affection for Uganda, myself included. Some have even returned to start – or in some cases re-start – businesses there, and some estimates suggest that these businesses make up around half of Uganda’s economy. Families like the Madhvani’s and the Mehta’s are once again providing tremendous wealth and opportunities in East Africa.
I am pleased to report that the UK’s trade with Uganda – of which Ugandan Asians play a key role – has doubled five times over in the last few years. Just last month, I was proud to oversee the signing of a historic £1.9bn deal between UK company McDermott and Uganda over the building of a new oil pipeline in the region. The deal represented the largest monetary deal with Uganda in history. The deal will be crucial in Uganda’s economic recovery post Covid.
However, it is not just trading that Ugandan Asians have a vested interest in. In the recent, devasting second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Ugandan Asians have been at the forefront of supporting Uganda’s Covid relief effort. Hundreds have donated funds, PPEs and vital medicines to help Uganda face this new wave.
In the run up to the 50th anniversary of the expulsion, many members and community groups have already started to come together to commemorate this historic anniversary. Not only is it a key milestone, but perhaps one of the last, as sadly many of the first and second generation Ugandan Asians are passing away. It is therefore imperative, that for the benefit of the new generation of British born Indians, we preserve those memories and empower them with the importance of the shared values of hard work, family, education and integration which got us so far. It will help act as reference point for other communities in Britain and abroad who face similar challenges.
So, as you enjoy early August under these unprecedented times, spare a thought for the 28,000 who came here 49 years ago. Many now have pictures of Idi Amin on their walls; because without him, we would never have been able to move here and achieve the success we did.
