Shezan Muhammedi, "Gifts from Amin: Ugandan Asian Refugees in Canada" (U of Manitoba Press, 2022)

Sep 28, 2023

Shezan Muhammedi, author of 'Gifts from Amin: Ugandan Asian Refugees in Canada', discusses the experiences of Ugandan Asian refugees in Canada. The podcast covers topics such as their resettlement, challenges faced, and contributions to Canadian society. It also explores the historical roots of the South Asian community in Uganda and the unique period of Canadian immigration in the 1970s.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Challenges and Triumphs of Ugandan Asian Refugees in Canada

02:09 • 29min

Challenges in establishing a strong Ugandan middle class and the favoring of Ugandan Asians

31:07 • 3min

Memoir of the Lead Immigration Official in Kampala during Second World War

34:30 • 4min

The Roots of Colonialism and Challenges Faced

38:08 • 22min

Bryce Maccacy's Limited Role

01:00:28 • 6min

Challenges and Contributions of Ugandan Asian Refugees in Canada

01:06:11 • 27min

The Power of Human Connections and Ugandan Asian Refugees in Canada

01:33:16 • 2min

In August 1972, military leader and despot Idi Amin expelled Asian Ugandans from the country, professing to return control of the economy to "Ugandan citizens." Within ninety days, 50,000 Ugandans of South Asian descent were forced to leave and seek asylum elsewhere; nearly 8,000 resettled in Canada. This major migration event marked the first time Canada accepted a large group of predominantly Muslim, non-European, non-white refugees. Shezan Muhammedi's Gifts from Amin: Ugandan Asian Refugees in Canada (U of Manitoba Press, 2022) documents how these women, children, and men--including doctors, engineers, business leaders, and members of Muhammedi's own family--responded to the threat in Uganda and rebuilt their lives in Canada.

Building on extensive archival research and oral histories, Muhammedi provides a nuanced case study on the relationship between public policy, refugee resettlement, and assimilation tactics in the twentieth century. He demonstrates how displaced peoples adeptly maintain multiple regional, ethnic, and religious identities while negotiating new citizenship. Not passive recipients of international aid, Ugandan Asian refugees navigated various bureaucratic processes to secure safe passage to Canada, applied for family reunification, and made concerted efforts to integrate into--and give back to--Canadian society, all the while reshaping Canada's refugee policies in ways still evident today. As the numbers of forcibly displaced people around the world continue to rise, Muhammedi's analysis of policymaking and refugee experience is eminently relevant. The first major oral history project dedicated to the stories of Ugandan Asian refugees in Canada, Gifts from Amin explores the historical context of their expulsion from Uganda, the multiple motivations behind Canada's decision to admit them, and their resilience over the past fifty years.

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