Asians key in India-Uganda tie
The Indian diaspora has been intrinsically woven into Uganda’s history and culture.
‘Ugandan Asians’ is the term used especially among the diaspora scholars to emphasise on the people who were expelled and were displaced from Uganda in 1972 by former Ugandan president Idi Amin.
On August 5, 1972, president Amin gave his famous ‘Asian farewell’ speech stating that the Asian community has 90 days to leave Uganda.
He accused the Asians of economic sabotage, alleging that they were unwilling to invest in Uganda’s growth and development.
The endogamous nature of the community, lack of social interactions, tight control of Indian diaspora and alleged overall lack of interest and effort towards growth and development of Uganda as a whole instead of individual profits and success some of the reasons cited to propagate the expulsion order.
The social and psychological trauma that the Ugandan Asians suffered is tough to let go and ultimately move on.
One such example is the arrest of Mr Manubhai Madhvani of the Madhvani Group in Uganda which according to his biography was to emphasize the point to the Asian population that if a Madhvani could be detained, so can anyone else.
The time of expulsion saw the theft and destruction of Asian properties and business.
The degradation of the Ugandan economic situation was in a way legally sanctioned under ‘The Assets of Departed Asians Act (1973)’.
The Ugandan economy suffered a backlash when flourishing economic structures crumbled and the developmental procedure went back by 20 years in time.
There was change in relationship between the Asian community and the Ugandan population in the 1990s.
However, the foundation steps for the change were taken in 1982 when the Ugandan Parliament passed a Bill to return Ugandan Asians’ Properties to them.
This Act was implemented with coming of President Yoweri Museveni to power and the expelled Asians were allowed to return to and resettle in Uganda.
The returnee Asians have flourished and with them the Ugandan economy as well. Baring the current Covid-19 situation where the global economy is in a state of decline, Uganda in the pre-pandemic days was flourishing.
The Asians in Uganda have contributed towards economic structures, medical and health care facilities, education and pharmaceutical sectors etc.
The historical and psychological control of the expulsion memories still grips the older generation of the Asians living in Uganda who had experienced it all.
The younger generation has learned their lessons as well. Due to global banking the significant chunk of the Asian wealth is in the banks abroad, so that if history repeats itself, they are not caught unaware.
In two years, it will be the golden jubilee of the expulsion act, the generation who experienced this expulsion process is on the stage of decline.
Many of them have even crossed over, yet the journey, their family histories, its impact, and the lessons learned from it are still in the minds of Ugandan Asians and, even today, play a decisive role in the relations of Indian diaspora with the Ugandan government.
Ms Aarshi Dua is a PhD at the Centre for African Studies, India.
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