On the 50th anniversary of the Ugandan expulsions the media is
covering the story by interviewing the people who settled here in
Britain. Quite often the conversation turns to the experiences of
those refugees as they made Britain their home. The response is almost
always the same. That is that there was racism, there was name calling
and bullying in the schools. The media also brings up the
advertisements placed in papers asking the refugees not to come to
Leicester. I contend that this narrative does gross injustice to the British
people who went out of their way to help us settle in this
country. I say, ‘us’ because though I was not from Uganda, tens of
thousands of us from Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe and other
countries also came here as we faced a similar pressure to leave.
Thousands also came from Aden.
Let us just look at Leicester. Tens of thousands of people from Uganda
and other East African countries made the City their home. Most
adults who came had very few qualifications. The City and its
industrial hub employed the refugees, the frail and elderly got
medical care, the teachers gave special attention to the children
especially in subjects like English. Volunteers from the English
community came to teach English at home, they guided us in dealing
with issues of everyday life. A Father-in-Law of a relative of mine
was completely disabled and could not speak either. He spent months in
the hospital lovingly cared by the nurses. When he passed away they
came to the funeral and were shedding tears. A friend of mine who
passed away a few years ago had been ill with a serious disease and
had been in and out of hospital many times. He said the NHS had
probably spent as much as £100,000 on him. People will remember there
were a lot of people who had somehow come to the UK but had no right
to stay and faced deportation. In many cases a petition would start
with the help of the local MP and in most cases the individual would
be granted a right to stay. A friend of mine’s elderly mother was left
alone in Kenya with no right to come here. The family asked me to
write a letter to the immigration department saying I would be her
sponsor and pay for her living costs. To my great surprise she was
granted permission to come to the UK. This is thanks to the
compassionate immgration officer whom we never met. In the 1980’s the
British National Party was harassing immigrants on the streets of
London. It was the white British people who came to our defence and
confronted them and drove them off the streets. It is very easy to
forget those who helped us when we were helpless.
We must not do that and we must not be negative of people who have
done so much for us.
After a few years the Indian community ventured into business, maily
corner shops. But how did they buy these businesses in the first
place? In most cases it was a sympathetic Bank manager. He or she
gave the loan without any collateral. When I wanted to start my
business I needed a £500 overdraft facility. I went to see my English
Bank manager. He said he was giving a loan on trust and hoped I would
not let him down. Those small corner shops were the lynchpin for the
enormous wealth that the Indian community has made in this country.
Buying a house is a top priority for our community. In the 1970’s it
was next to impossible to get a mortgage on the wages that most people
earned. However there were now our people in Insurance, Life policies
and Mortgages. Do you remember how they used to come to our houses to
sell you an insurance policy! They got us mortgages from the Guardian
and other companies only on the guarantee that the repayments will
never fail.
On the cultural and religious front the Churches allowed us the use of
their halls and we have practiced our faith in this country without
any obstacles whatsoever. Today we have magnificent temples both in
Leicester and all over the country. Over the last 20 years thousands
of Gujarati’s from Diu, Daman and Goa have settled in Leicester.
Leicester is almost a Gujarati City! It now has its own Gaushala
Shala-Cow Sanctuary!
The children of those refugees have exceeded in every field of life so
much that Rishi Sunak is knocking on the doors of 10 Downing Street!
Again this is thanks to the great British public who have helped us
flourish. Since the 1970’s the British Government has passed laws
after laws to stamp out any discrimination.
A word of thanks here also to some of our leaders from the 1970’s who
championed our cause. At a time when people were unable to freely
express themselves in English, people like Praful Patel dealt with the
British Government with great aplomb. Kantibhai Nagda, CB Patel, Late
Dhanjibhai Tanna, Late Rameshbhai Patel and many others were and are
the stalwarts of our community.
In conclusion let me quote the then Prime Minister Ted Heath who said
that, ‘Uganda’s loss is our gain’. You could not get a better welcome
than that. As we reminisce on the expulsions let us acknowledge the
great support the British people gave us when we were in desperate
need. Around 2011 I had sent a similar article Peter Soulsby the then
Mayor of Leicester. I received a reply saying that it was really nice
to hear the positive story. He is still the Mayor of Leicester and I
will send him this article again.
Nitin Mehta
7 August 2022.
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