Documentary recounts Uganda’s 1972 expulsion of its Asian community
A documentary revisits Idi Amin’s 1972 order forcing Uganda’s Asian population to leave the country, giving them 90 days to do so. People who experienced the expulsion as children describe its lasting impact, making the programme a record of displacement and the threats and violence families faced.
The programme is a two-part BBC Two documentary airing at 9pm. It recounts how Uganda, then home to about 80,000 Asians, saw curfews, radio countdowns, street violence, abuse and massacres during the expulsion, which came 18 months after Amin took power.
In short
- Amin gave Uganda’s Asian population 90 days to leave in 1972.
- Survivors recall curfews, threats and violence.
- A two-part documentary shares childhood testimonies of the expulsion.
Explained simply
Uganda gained independence from Britain in 1962, and Idi Amin took power in a military coup in 1971. The country’s Asian community, many of whose families had lived there for generations, included people with roots in India and other parts of South Asia.
In 1972, Amin ordered most Asians to leave within 90 days, accusing them of holding too much economic power. Tens of thousands had to abandon homes, businesses and possessions; many went to Britain and other countries, while Uganda’s government took control of property and businesses they left behind.
The expulsion reshaped families’ lives and Uganda’s economy, and remains part of the country’s history under Amin. Accounts from people who left as children help show how the displacement and violence affected those who experienced it.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “TV tonight: Idi Amin’s forced expulsion of Asians from Uganda”.