Indians in Uganda

Infobox Ethnic group
group = Indians in Uganda
poptime = 12,000
popplace = Kampala
langs = English, Gujarati, Hindi
rels = Hinduism, Islam
related-c = Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin, Desi

There are currently over 12,000 people of Indian origin in Tanzania, a far cry from their heyday. In the 1860, over 30,000 Indians, mostly Sikhs, were brought on 3 year contratcs toclear the jungle lay railway tracks from Monbasa to Kampala, Uganda's capital. Some died, while others returned to Indian after the end of their contracts, but around 7000 chose to stay. They were joined by Gujarati traders, both Hindu and Muslim who came to capitalise on the economic opportunities.

Over time, these Indian became very prosperous and dominated the entire economy, which caused resentment among the locals. Post independence, these resentments came to a crisis, when Idi Amin ousted President Milton Obote after a military coup. He quickly proceeded to expel all Asians. See Expulsion of Asians in Uganda in 1972 for a detailed account of events.

As a result, many Indians migrated to the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere and began rebuilding their lives. The fate suffered by the Ugandan Indians, are among the most extreme cases of Indophobia in recent times. This has been the subject of several works of fiction, most notably Mississippi Masala and The Last King of Scotland

ee also

* Expulsion of Asians in Uganda in 1972
* Asians in Africa

References

* Demographics of Uganda
* [http://indiandiaspora.nic.in/diasporapdf/chapter8.pdf Indian Diaspora in Africa]
* [http://www.rudyfoto.com/IndiansofAfrica.html Indians of East Africa]