Preserving Asian Heritage

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In the late 1960s and early 1970s pressure from 'Africanisation' policies in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda caused East African Asians to start leaving the area. In 1972, Uganda's military dictator, Idi Amin, expelled tens of thousands of Asians. At first, the British were reluctant to admit the refugees, even though many had British passports, but eventually Britain relented and, according to the ICAR website (see link below), 'it has been estimated that 6,000 of the Asians expelled from Uganda by Amin finally resettled in Leicester'.

ICAR provides a brief history of refugee setlement in Leicester - http://www.icar.org.uk/?lid=9972

The Moving Here website has lots of information about the history of migration from South Asia - http://www.movinghere.org.uk/galleries/histories/asian/asian.htm

The Guardian newspaper's obituary of Idi Amin contains many details about his life - http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,1020657,00.html

An article from the Guardian's archive, dated 5th August 1972, about Idi Amin's decision to expel Asians from Uganda - http://www.guardian.co.uk/fromthearchive/story/0,12269,1008372,00.html

Ruth DeSouza's 'Indian Diaspora in Africa' site has links to articles and websites - http://www.wairua.com/ruth/culture/africa.html

Links to many dozens of websites about Uganda can be found here - http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/uganda.html

There are videos on You Tube including several by Pukaar news e.g. - http://youtu.be/riia2d1fuQw and http://youtu.be/L4abS0PhRzQ

Books

Available from EMEN is a book based on this project, 'Ugandan Memories', which is now online: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ugandan-memories/id1199126948?ls=1&mt=11

Available in local libraries, Valerie Marett's 'Immigrants Settling in the City', 1989, Leicester University Press, considers in significant detail the journey of the Ugandan Asians from Uganda to Leicester. It looks at how they were received in Leicester and how they resettled.

Home Page

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Video Clips

Click here to see brief extracts from the DVD.

Photo Gallery

Click here to see photographs from the project.

Last updated: 20/03/2017
East Midland Oral History Archive Web maintainer
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