SERVICE MARKS 40 YEARS SINCE UGANDAN EXODUS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Service marks 40 years since Ugandan exodus

by David W Owen

Leicester Cathedral was the venue for a service commemorating the 40th anniversary of Asians ordered out of Idi Amin’s Ugandan dictatorship finding a new home in the city.

Saturday's thanksgiving service was led by the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens, with Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles special guest of honour.

More than 28,000 people arrived in Britain from Uganda in 1972, with7,000 choosing to settle in Leicester despite an advertising campaign warning them not to come to the city.

The service, however, celebrated their positive contribution to the city – in the fields of business, the professions, politics, arts and science.

Bishop Tim said: “It was a great pleasure that Leicester Cathedral was chosen as the venue to give thanks for the contribution of the Ugandan Asian community.

“The service recognised the importance of friendship and generosity, as shown both by those who came to our city 40 years ago under such desperate circumstances, and those who welcomed them to a strange land and opened their homes and hearts, in the best tradition of the faiths of this city.”

OUR DIVERSE CITY SHOWN IN PICTURES

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Our diverse city shown in pictures

A photography exhibition exploring Leicester's diversity is taking place at an unusual venue – shop windows across the city.

Dozens of pictures will be on display at 20 shops in Belgrave, Highfields and Spinney Hills as part of the From Here and There exhibition until December 16.

Artworks are also on show in the street and at community spaces in the city.

The display looks at Leicester's cultural diversity, our notions of Britishness and also commemorates the 40th anniversary of thousands of Asians moving to Leicester after being expelled from Uganda.

It also marks this year's Olympic Games.

It is a collaboration between Leicester artist Ashok Mistry and award-winning Indian photographer Pablo Bartholomew.

Ashok said: "The exhibition is about celebration and the communities we have in Leicester, the way they co-operate and flourish."

He said it was also about looking at plurality, as Leicester is expected to be one of Britain's first plural cities, where there is no clear ethnic majority group.

Ashok said the pictures were being displayed in shop windows and on the street as the display was aimed at people not normally catered for in galleries.

Pablo, who is based in New Delhi, said the idea of the exhibition was "to bring out something on the streets".

He said that spreading the posters throughout Leicester was a "great way to communicate with different types of audience" and also "different areas of Leicester.

One of the shops which is displaying photographs as part of the exhibition is Milan's, in Belgrave Road.

Manager Kishor Chauhan said the shop took part in the exhibition "because it sounded very interesting".

A celebration event to mark the exhibition will take place tonight from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at Chennai Dosa, in Belgrave Road, Leicester.

For the full art trail and more details about the exhibition, visit the website: http://fromhereandthere.info

RECEPTION AS EXHIBITION ENDS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Reception as exhibition ends

A reception has been held to mark the end of an exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of the expulsion of Asians from Uganda.

The show, From Kampala to Leicester, began at New Walk Museum in July.

It told the story of Leicester's Ugandan Asian community from1972 to the present day and how the 10,000-strong community which settled in the city has influenced its development.

The exhibition, which was extended by a week because of its popularity, featured films, personal testimonies and rare artefacts borrowed from Leicester's Ugandan Asian community.

Belgrave Business Association hosted a reception at the museum on Friday for 60 guests, including Leicester East MP Keith Vaz and city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby.

The association's chairman, Dharmesh Lakhani, said: "The influx of the Asian community has played a major part in Leicester as we see it today.

"It was important to recognise the part the community has played in Leicester's history, reflected in the exhibition put on by the museum."

FROM KAMPALA TO LEICESTER: CLOSING RECEPTION

Cllr Ted Cassidy and Suleman Nagdi, chatting inside the main display space of the exhibition

This evening I'm at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery for a reception to mark the successful conclusion of From Kampala to Leicester, the popular exhibition which tells the story of Leicester's Ugandan Asian community, 1972-2012.

From Kampala to Leicester (the exhibition itself and associated events) has run at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery (and a number of other venues around the city) from 14 July and was to conclude this Sunday, 30 September. Due to popular demand, it has been extended by one week.

There are a number of distinguished guests among the 60 or so attendees this evening, including Mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby; Deputy Mayor, Cllr Rory Palmer; Lord Mayor of Leicester, Cllr Abdul Osman; Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Suleman Nagdi; two Assistant Mayors and half a dozen City Councillors. Director of Leicester City Council's Museums and Arts Service, Sarah Levitt, presides over the formal part of the reception. Sir Peter gives a speech, as does Cllr Sundip Meghani. Cllr Meghani is the son and grandson of refugees from Uganda who came to this country with little more than the clothes on their back. He now enjoys the distinction of being the youngest City Councillor currently serving in Leicester. He proposed a motion to the City Council on 13 September, recognising the contribution that Ugandan Asians have made to Leicester over the past 40 years. You can read all about this in more detail on Cllr Meghani's blog (including a video recording of his speech to Council). We also hear written testimonies of four people from diverse backgrounds, not natives of the city but who have come to call Leicester home (two of them having come here from Uganda in 1972).

There's even a period feel in the catering tonight. Among the delicacies on offer, we have that 70s classic, cheese and pineapple on a cocktail stick, but with an Asian twist: the cheese is paneer. That's so Leicester!

CITY TO THANK ITS UGANDAN ASIANS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

City to thank its Ugandan Asians

Councillors are to publicly thank the Ugandan Asian community in Leicester for its contributions to the city's life over the past 40 years.

About 10,000 Asians took refuge in the city after dictator Idi Amin expelled them from the east African nation in 1972.

To mark the 40th anniversary of the expulsion, city councillors are to discuss a motion recognising the social economic and cultural benefits the refugees' arrival has had.

Councillor Sundip Meghani has proposed the motion. His father, Shantilal, and his family settled in Leicester after being expelled from Uganda with just £50 in their pockets. His mother, Nainaben, had come to the city before the expulsions.

Coun Meghani said: "It is a symbolic gesture on an issue that is of great importance to the whole city.

"More than 10,000 Ugandan Asians came here. Most were active, hard-working and entrepreneurial people.

"They helped the recovery of an economy that, in the early 1970s was struggling – particularly the hosiery industry.

"Today, they and their relatives play a major part in the city's business. It's in everything from restaurants to banking and the legal sector."

Coun Meghani is also urging his colleagues to condemn those who seek to discourage people fleeing persecution from coming to the city.

He said: "At the time of the expulsions there was a lot of rhetoric from anti-immigration groups and the National Front to try to stop Ugandan Asians coming here.

"The city council also foolishly took out adverts in papers telling them not to come here.

"Leicester reluctantly accepted the Ugandan Asians but now, after 40 years, the city is a much better place for their arrival.

"The city was a very different place back then and there was uncertainty and fear about immigration. Now we know what an important role those fleeing persecution have played."

Dharmesh Lakhani, chairman of Belgrave Business Association, was four years old when his family came to Leicester.

Dharmesh, who runs Bobby's restaurant, in Belgrave Road, said: "Ugandan Asians should also thank the people of Leicester for accepting them.

"I know there was a campaign to stop people coming here and there was a lot of ridiculous propaganda, but I never got the sense from most people that we were not welcome.

"Let's remember, people were uncertain about what to expect. They were not told most Ugandan Asians were successful, middle-class people.

"There are many Ugandan Asians like me who now consider themselves As British as anyone and they have worked hard to develop successful businesses to add to this city.''

UGANDAN ASIANS IN LEICESTER: FROM REFUGEES TO CITIZENS

After having spent an hour or so at the launch of Clare Jackson's portrait exhibition at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, I wander into the exhibition From Kampala to Leicester, which tells the story of Leicester's Ugandan Asian community, 1972-2012.

I wonder why it's so busy this time of a weekday evening; not everyone here was at the exhibition launch. After a few minutes, a staff member comes in and ushers us into another room, telling us that "This evening's talk is about to start". I'm not here for the talk - I didn't even know there was going to be one or what the topic is - but I'm at a loose end for the rest of the evening, so I'm happy to tag along.

I'm glad I did. The speaker is Dr Pippa Virdee (in photo above), Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities, Department of Historical & Social Studies. Her subject: "Ugandan Asians in Leicester: From Refugees to Citizens" is a fascinating topic, well researched and nicely delivered. And I get the chance to meet some lovely people here this evening too, making a few strong contacts that I hope bode well for the future.

From Kampala to Leicester (and associated events) continues at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery (and a number of other venues around the city) till Sunday 30 September.

FORTY YEARS AGO TODAY: A TYRANT'S WHIM BOOSTED OUR CITY'S FORTUNES

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Forty years ago today: a tyrant's whim boosted our city's fortune

Forty years ago today, East African dictator Idi Amin made a decision that would change Leicester forever.

In August 1972, the leader of Uganda decided to expel all the Asians living in his country – most of whom held British passports and boarded planes for England.

Leicester City Council's reaction was to place an advert in the Uganda Argus warning that Leicester was full of immigrants already and that they should not move here. However, between 6,000 and 10,000 Ugandan Asians came to the city.

They brought with them a wealth of skills and business know-how that would boost Leicester's fortunes.

The Asian families, many of whom owned Uganda's most successful businesses, had been given 90 days to leave the country and could only take their personal belongings and up to £55 in cash.

Among them were Praful Thakrar's family.

Praful, who is now 64, working as an accountant and living in Oadby, was 24 and studying accountancy in London when the announcement was made.

While watching the News at Ten he saw footage of his mother and eight brothers and sisters getting off a plane at Stansted Airport.

"I had been in England two weeks and I had no idea what my family were doing until I saw them on television," he said. "I rang ITN and found they had been taken to a camp in Devon."

After 47 years in Uganda, Praful's parents had built up a good life, living in a large house.

When they arrived in Leicester, the family of 11 all had to live in a terraced house, and had to start working and rebuilding their lives.

Praful said: "We had seen the advertisement in the newspaper asking us to not come to Leicester, but it backfired.

"Luckily, the job market in Leicester was very good at that time and within four months we were renting a second house as well. We were very lucky to come here. My own children both work in London now and have good lives."

Manu Madhani, who lives in Evington, Leicester, was 28 when the expulsion announcement was made.

He said: "The first thing I did was get all my money out of the bank and give it away to my African staff and get ready to leave. I felt hurt by what happened because I had worked hard on my export and import business in the past four years and put all my savings into it."I was born in Uganda and didn't want to leave."

Manu, now 68, runs Manu Export Services, in London Road, Leicester.He said the city council's warning to stay away had produced the opposite affect.

"Leicester City Council said the city was full of immigrants and that they didn't want any more.

"If we hadn't seen that advert we would have gone somewhere else."When we came to Leicester we were not using benefits and asking for aid – we were all business-minded people.

"The second day I was here I was out looking for work."

After working as a machinist at an engineering company in Abbey Lane, Leicester, Manu's employers discovered his business skills and promoted him to the export department.

He later spent 17 years working for a London export company before concentrating on his own business.

He said he had never experienced racist attitudes in Leicester and was happy to call it home.

He said: "I think about Uganda but I haven't been back. My two daughters and my son are all settled here and married.

"My mother, who is 89 now, is against me going back because she still has fears. This is our home now."

BOOK REFLECTS DIVERSITY OF NEIGHBOURHOOD

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Book reflects diversity of neighbourhood

A book about one of the city's most diverse neighbourhoods has been launched.

We Are South Highfields includes accounts of nearly 100 people from dozens of different nationalities who have lived in the area.

The book, funded by the Church Urban Fund Near Neighbours project, was launched at St Peter's Community Centre in Highfields, Leicester.

Editor Penny Walker said: "It was a brilliant evening and the community centre was packed out.

"South Highfields has been the place for people to come to first and a lot of Ugandan Asians moved to this area in the 1970s. A lot of the Afro-Caribbeans in Leicester still regard it as a sort of spiritual home.

"I live here and it's a wonderful area. The book gives you the backgrounds of the people and encompasses a wide range of ages and nationalities."

Copies of the book, costing £7.50, are available by calling 0116 319 9487.

UGANDAN ASIANS IN SPOTLIGHT

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

 

Ugandan Asians in spotlight

A series of exhibitions are to show the 40-year history of Leicester's Ugandan Asian community.

About 10,000 Asians settled in the city after dictator Idi Amin expelled them from Uganda in 1972. Now, the stories of those affected, from their expulsion to their arrival, adaptation and developing role in the city's culture and life, will be brought to life in displays at the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery.

The exhibition is called From Kampala to Leicester: The Story of Leicester's Ugandan Asian Community 1972-2012. A season of events will run from Saturday to September 30.

City mayor Peter Soulsby will officially launch the exhibitions today.

He said: "Anyone with an interest in the Leicester we see today will be fascinated by this important phase in its past, which is illustrated so beautifully, thanks to these events."

Full details of the exhibition and events programme is available at:www.leicester.gov.uk/ ugandanasianstory

In the photo: Cllr Manjula Sood, De[puty Mayor and Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths (who isn't one of those who arrived in Leicester from Uganda in 1972), to the left of City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby (centre). Photo from Leicester Arts & Museums Facebook page. 

MEMORIES OF UGANDAN ASIAN FAMILIES WANTED

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Memories of Ugandan Asian families wanted

Do you remember the arrival of the Ugandan Asians in Leicester in 1972?

Perhaps you were one of those forced to flee East Africa with little more than the clothes on your back? Maybe you were an Indian already living in Leicester who found your life turned upside down by the upheavals of 1972?

Where you were living in the Belgrave Road area at the time and remember what it was like to get a sudden influx of new neighbours?

Whatever your story, whether you were a newcomer or a long-established Leicester family, Mercury reporter Adam Wakelin would like to hear from you. 

Give him a call on 0116 222436 or send him an e-mail: adamwakelin@leicestermercury.co.uk

Please remember to include your name and a daytime contact number. 

REFUGEES OF UGANDA GET TO TELL STORIES

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Refugees of Uganda get to tell stories

Curators of a museum exhibition are inviting Leicester's Ugandan Asian community to share their memories at an event this Saturday.

The exhibition, planned for New Walk Museum later this year, will mark the 40th anniversary of the expulsion of Asian people from Uganda and, for some of them, their move to Leicester.

Using archive materials and oral histories, it will look at how Ugandan Asians adapted to life in the UK and how the community has influenced the city over the last four decades.

Organisers are hoping people will attend an event at the Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre on Saturday to tell their tales.

Museum staff will be on hand to record interviews, scan photographs and gather other material that could feature in the 40 Years: The Ugandan Asian Story exhibition, which opens at New Walk Museum on July 14 and runs until September 30.

The event at the Rothley Street centre runs from 11am until 4pm. To find out more, or if you have an interesting story but cannot attend, call Philip French on 0116 225 4980.

40 YEARS: THE UGANDAN ASIAN STORY

Last week, I posted an article lifted from the Leicester Mercury about a forthcoming exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of the expulsion of the Asian community from Uganda. This morning, I found out some more information about this on the website for New Walk Museum and ArtGallery.

40 years: The Ugandan Asian Story

New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester

14th July - 30th September 2012 

Leicester Arts & Museums are planning an exhibition at New Walk Museum & Art Gallery to mark the 40th anniversary of the expulsion of Ugandan Asians, and for some of them, a subsequent move to Leicester.

The exhibition will focus on the 40 years since the expulsion and the impact the Ugandan Asian community has had on Leicester and the way the community has adapted to life in the UK.

As part of the development of the exhibition we are looking to work with the Ugandan Asian community to record memorable stories by interviewing people, scanning photographs and recording objects. We are particularly interested in memories and objects from the early years of moving to and living in Leicester.

Please come along to our event day in March to share your memories and stories as well as to learn more about the events that unfolded over 90 days in 1972.

40 years: The Ugandan Asian Story - Event Day

Saturday 10th March 2012, 11.00am - 4.00pm

Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre, Rothley Street, LE4 6LF

If you would like to find out more about the exhibition or event day please contact: Philip French on 0116 225 4980 / philip.french@leicester.gov.uk

HELP WANTED FOR UGANDAN ASIAN EXHIBITION

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Help wanted

Members of the Ugandan Asian community are being asked for their photographs and memories of moving to Leicester for an exhibition.

The interviews will be collected and used as part of an exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of the expulsion of Asian people from Uganda.

A session is being at Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre, in Rothley Street, Leicester, on March 10, from 11am for all the information to be collected.

For more information, or take part, call Philip French on 0116 225 4980.