Uganda: We need you back

Idi Amin delivered his speech at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, justifying his decision to expel 50,000 Asians from Uganda in 1972 (© Archives New Zealand)

Hélène Michaud visits Uganda, more than 20 years after Idi Amin ordered 50,000 Asians to leave Uganda, accusing them of sabotaging the country’s economy. In 1992, President Yoweri Museveni invited the expelled Asians to return and to claim back their properties. The aim was to repair past injustices and boost Uganda’s economy, which never recovered from the exodus and years of political anarchy.

Hélène meets several returnees who look back at that fateful date in 1972 and explain why they decided to return. 

Producer: Hélène Michaud

Broadcast: November 16, 1994