Uprooted 50 years ago

About the Exhibit

On 4th August 1972 Idi Amin, the President of Uganda, announced that ALL Asians living in Uganda MUST leave as they were “milking the economy of Uganda”. Around 80,000 people were displaced. Greenham Common Resettlement camp was set up in October 1972 to provide temporary housing for approximately 4,000 of the 27,000 refugees arriving to the UK from Uganda and became the second largest refugee camp. The exhibition will tell the plight of those whose lives were shattered, who had until then been a part of the country’s economic, political and cultural life.

The event stands out today considering more recent displacements around the world as families, singled out because they belong to a tribe, ethnicity, religion or creed, lose their homes and life as they knew it. Being forced to rebuild their hopes and dreams elsewhere on the back of such a tragedy.

When you look at the current forced migration situation impacting Ukrainians and look back at our forced migration it’s devastating to think that in both cases it took just “one” man to tear apart so many human lives.

Pragna Hay