Reminiscing Ugandan Indians: They won and they lost!
24 Feb 2014 2:57 AM IST
Claiming to have received the order from God, the whimsical Amin gave them 90 days to leave. Approximately 55,000 inclusive of Ugandan citizens! And, what were such a large number of Indians doing in Uganda? Sabotaging its economy – that was Amin’s primary accusation.
Not entirely baseless though; suggest the following facts. About 30,000 Indians (primarily, Gujarati, Punjabi and Ismaili Muslim), from British India, in 1890s were lugged to Uganda for construction of Uganda Railway from Mombasa to Kisumu. Over the next few decades these comparatively more skilled (than natives) labourers became babus, traders and middle men – cast into the racial and thus economic echelons (British colonisation, of course!) – right between the superior whites and the inferior blacks. Eventually and enterprisingly, they constituted one per cent of the population while drawing about 20 per cent of the national income. A commonly used slur dukkawalas stereotyped the Indians as ‘greedy and conniving’, for the bahindi traders were solely interested in amassing wealth for themselves. Apart from the economic seizure and exploitation of the native Ugandans, the Uganda Asians were also arraigned for their racial disdain towards the natives, with no intermingling or socialising with them. However, the disregard was a mutual one. Hence, the anti-Asian sentiment gained steam in the 1960s, esp. after Ugandan Independence in 1962.
So, it was not just based on a dream, after all. Amin raised doubts over Asian’s loyalties (apart from not mingling with natives), as many preferred British citizenship and locked away the country’s wealth in UK banks. It was furthered in 1963, when the then Indian PM Nehru, unwittingly said to a journo that Indians overseas had double loyalties – one to India and another to their home countries. The Indian government blew hot and cold with respect to the Asian populace in the East African region, primarily because it found these Asians as an obstruction to establishing trade relations with the newly independent African countries.
All odds against them, Ugandan Asians were not only rendered stateless upon Amin’s call, but also supportless. Amin did not allow any remission, in spite of Indian requests and British pressure. In fact, he ensured that no Asian leaves with even a trace of their possessions. After the initial hesitation, the British descended to assume the responsibility towards accepting the expellees with British passports, while Indian government failed to take any concrete stand. Britain took around 27,200 refugees. About 6,000 went to Canada, 4,500 ended up in India and 2,500 went to nearby Kenya. Malawi, Pakistan, West Germany and the United States took 1,000 refugees each with smaller numbers immigrating to other countries and some unaccounted for. The expulsion itself was a violent affair. It left the refugees crestfallen for they underwent racial blows in their native countries as well as the new found home countries. Going by the ‘Selfie’ lens and a maintained ignorance by Indian government and media alike towards Indian origin Africans (Case in point: The West Gate Mall terror attack in Kenya, of September 2013, killed 67 people, inclusive of several of Indian origin. The only ones we, in India get to know about are six Indian nationals (two killed and four injured!), it is not inconceivable that Indian diplomats could not promote their cause even back then.
The expulsion, devastating as it was for the Ugandan Asians, was equally detrimental for the economy of Uganda, which came to a virtual halt. As major industries transferred hands, the inexperienced Ugandans could not salvage the businesses and all went kaput. With Amin’s bigotry and brutalism, broken economy and all infrastructures gone - it was Uganda’s nadir. Finally, in 1979, Amin was overthrown by Tanzanian forces following which he fled to Libiya and was exiled to Saudi Arabia (where he lived until his death in 2003).
If the cradle of the world is Africa, aren’t we all Africans by virtue of sheer lineage? It wouldn’t be mere co-incidence then, that the concept of ‘Ubuntu’ – of ‘I am because you are’ – is a culture of the land. But the above story doesn’t cohere to this, whatever became of all the richness that this region was bestowed with? Well, pretty much what also happened to the once culturally and economically rich, India (once, a ‘Golden Bird’). British. That’s right, British happened to India and to Africa. Centuries of Colonization and Oppression has left East Africa, particularly Uganda – once, ‘Pearl of Africa’ – embattled for growth and harmony. And the two countries have this unfortunate knot in – The 1972 expulsion episode.
Acquiring power at 42, in 1986, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the current President of Uganda, spearheaded development in the nation. In an attempt to ameliorate history, he invited the expelled Asians to return and reclaim their properties and also gave incentives to reboot the sagging economy. About 2000 did return. A large chunk of the current (about 30,000 south Asians) however migrated from the various parts of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh etc. These culturally sensitive, more open immigrants came to invest or looking for work opportunities. However, now they are faced with a stiff competition from the Chinese that ingressed during the last 3-4 decades and true to their nature, are omnipresent. These immigrants as well as the returnees are now contributing in the reconstruction of Uganda. But, will they ever adopt ‘Ubuntu’ culture? Will they ever be citizens? For, Prez Museveni never spoke about restoring the
Ugandan Indians’ citizenship!
Email: [email protected]
Conceived by Kalyan Mukherjee, Consulting Editor, Africa Rising
Research & Advertising by Aman Ramrakha
Not entirely baseless though; suggest the following facts. About 30,000 Indians (primarily, Gujarati, Punjabi and Ismaili Muslim), from British India, in 1890s were lugged to Uganda for construction of Uganda Railway from Mombasa to Kisumu. Over the next few decades these comparatively more skilled (than natives) labourers became babus, traders and middle men – cast into the racial and thus economic echelons (British colonisation, of course!) – right between the superior whites and the inferior blacks. Eventually and enterprisingly, they constituted one per cent of the population while drawing about 20 per cent of the national income. A commonly used slur dukkawalas stereotyped the Indians as ‘greedy and conniving’, for the bahindi traders were solely interested in amassing wealth for themselves. Apart from the economic seizure and exploitation of the native Ugandans, the Uganda Asians were also arraigned for their racial disdain towards the natives, with no intermingling or socialising with them. However, the disregard was a mutual one. Hence, the anti-Asian sentiment gained steam in the 1960s, esp. after Ugandan Independence in 1962.
So, it was not just based on a dream, after all. Amin raised doubts over Asian’s loyalties (apart from not mingling with natives), as many preferred British citizenship and locked away the country’s wealth in UK banks. It was furthered in 1963, when the then Indian PM Nehru, unwittingly said to a journo that Indians overseas had double loyalties – one to India and another to their home countries. The Indian government blew hot and cold with respect to the Asian populace in the East African region, primarily because it found these Asians as an obstruction to establishing trade relations with the newly independent African countries.
All odds against them, Ugandan Asians were not only rendered stateless upon Amin’s call, but also supportless. Amin did not allow any remission, in spite of Indian requests and British pressure. In fact, he ensured that no Asian leaves with even a trace of their possessions. After the initial hesitation, the British descended to assume the responsibility towards accepting the expellees with British passports, while Indian government failed to take any concrete stand. Britain took around 27,200 refugees. About 6,000 went to Canada, 4,500 ended up in India and 2,500 went to nearby Kenya. Malawi, Pakistan, West Germany and the United States took 1,000 refugees each with smaller numbers immigrating to other countries and some unaccounted for. The expulsion itself was a violent affair. It left the refugees crestfallen for they underwent racial blows in their native countries as well as the new found home countries. Going by the ‘Selfie’ lens and a maintained ignorance by Indian government and media alike towards Indian origin Africans (Case in point: The West Gate Mall terror attack in Kenya, of September 2013, killed 67 people, inclusive of several of Indian origin. The only ones we, in India get to know about are six Indian nationals (two killed and four injured!), it is not inconceivable that Indian diplomats could not promote their cause even back then.
The expulsion, devastating as it was for the Ugandan Asians, was equally detrimental for the economy of Uganda, which came to a virtual halt. As major industries transferred hands, the inexperienced Ugandans could not salvage the businesses and all went kaput. With Amin’s bigotry and brutalism, broken economy and all infrastructures gone - it was Uganda’s nadir. Finally, in 1979, Amin was overthrown by Tanzanian forces following which he fled to Libiya and was exiled to Saudi Arabia (where he lived until his death in 2003).
If the cradle of the world is Africa, aren’t we all Africans by virtue of sheer lineage? It wouldn’t be mere co-incidence then, that the concept of ‘Ubuntu’ – of ‘I am because you are’ – is a culture of the land. But the above story doesn’t cohere to this, whatever became of all the richness that this region was bestowed with? Well, pretty much what also happened to the once culturally and economically rich, India (once, a ‘Golden Bird’). British. That’s right, British happened to India and to Africa. Centuries of Colonization and Oppression has left East Africa, particularly Uganda – once, ‘Pearl of Africa’ – embattled for growth and harmony. And the two countries have this unfortunate knot in – The 1972 expulsion episode.
Acquiring power at 42, in 1986, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the current President of Uganda, spearheaded development in the nation. In an attempt to ameliorate history, he invited the expelled Asians to return and reclaim their properties and also gave incentives to reboot the sagging economy. About 2000 did return. A large chunk of the current (about 30,000 south Asians) however migrated from the various parts of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh etc. These culturally sensitive, more open immigrants came to invest or looking for work opportunities. However, now they are faced with a stiff competition from the Chinese that ingressed during the last 3-4 decades and true to their nature, are omnipresent. These immigrants as well as the returnees are now contributing in the reconstruction of Uganda. But, will they ever adopt ‘Ubuntu’ culture? Will they ever be citizens? For, Prez Museveni never spoke about restoring the
Ugandan Indians’ citizenship!
Email: [email protected]
Conceived by Kalyan Mukherjee, Consulting Editor, Africa Rising
Research & Advertising by Aman Ramrakha
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