A Very British History: Ugandan Asians

Food writer Meera Sodha grew up in rural Lincolnshire. It was a far cry from Uganda, the country her parents were expelled from in 1972 by Idi Amin when he ordered all Asian people out of the country. He alleged that the Asians were monopolising the wealth of Uganda and he gave them just 90 days to leave.

Along with nearly 30,000 other people Meera’s family fled to Britain. As British passport holders, this was their right - although the welcome they received was inevitably mixed. On arrival, most were housed in disused military barracks before permanent homes could be found for them. Some ended up in Newcastle slums, others in the depths of Wales and Scotland. The dispersal policy was strict - the government was determined to avoid sending any more migrants to so called Red Areas - places with already high numbers of Commonwealth migrants, such as Leicester.

These days the Ugandan Asian Crisis, as it became known, is largely viewed as a successfully resolved situation - but Meera learns that although Britain did publicly welcome people, behind the scenes it was a different matter. All sorts of alternative solutions, such as pay-offs to renounce their British citizenship, were explored by Ted Heath and his government.

Publicity contact: SH3