For many decades,Asian people had been settled in East Africa. Majority were Hindus from an Indian state called Gujarat. Many lived in isolated communities, separate from their British rulers and their African neighbours. Most of them were successful professional and skilled workers. These communities became increasingly threatened as African governments cast Asians as a scapegoat group. In the face of rising hostility, many Asians were forced to go to UK: the country whose culture they carried and whose passports they held. A large population also immigrated to US and Canada.
This was a very tough situations for these people who were with families and were helpless.
India also closed its doors to those trying to leave Kenya, causing the 'Kenya Asian crisis'. This was followed in 1971 by a more dangerous crisis in Uganda.
In 1971, 50,000 Ugandan Asians were brutally expelled from the country by the military dictator, Idi Amin. The urgency of the situation prompted the British government to relax controls, allowing entry to 27,000 of the 50,000 refugees.President Amin has denounced the Ugandan Asians as "bloodsuckers", and warned that any remaining in the country after 8 November risk being imprisoned in military camps(www.bbc.co.uk/onthisday)
The British government allowed the Asians but these people were still very uncertain about their future life. Many of them chucked their weathly houses, cars in Africa and were leaving in a refugee settlement near Stansted.
later,Despite government efforts to distribute the refugees evenly about the country, many settled in areas with established Asian communities. In London, East African Asians settled principally in north and west London, particularly Harrow, Ealing and Wembley in Brent.
This was a brief story about the African Indians, I wish to go in deep in my future blogs and discuss their stories here on board. i want people to speak their life experiences and will publish them here.
references
www.bbc.co.uk/history
www.20thcenturyfox.com
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