About Ugandan Asian Refugees in Canada - Podcast Series of Oral Histories
Building on my extensive doctoral research and publication with the University of Manitoba press: Gifts from Amin: Ugandan Asian refugees in Canada, this series focuses on the recent oral histories conducted with Ugandan Asian refugees living in Canada from 2023 to 2025.
The episodes are organized into the following 6 themes:
Episode 1 - Introduction
Episode 2 - Roots in Uganda and Race Relations
Episode 3 - Responding and Living Through the Expulsion
Episode 4 - Adjusting to Life in Canada
Episode 5 - Identity After Over 50 Years in Canada
Episode 6 - Volunteerism and Giving Back
This episode focuses on the theme of volunteerism and giving back. In my doctoral research, Ugandan Asian refugees consistently mentioned the importance of giving back to society as a means of paying forward the generosity and kindness that was extended to them as refugees.
These remarks were unprompted as participants expressed that volunteerism is a central component of their personal identity construction and naturally came up as part of their explanations of who they are. The exact same theme came up in the recent oral histories I did for this project.
You can learn more by visiting the Uganda Collection Website (https://carleton.ca/uganda-collection/) or reading a copy of Gifts From Amin: Ugandan Asian (https://uofmpress.ca/books/gifts-from-amin)
3 May 2026
Episode 5 - Identity & Perceptions of Being Canadian
Welcome to today’s episode focusing on the expressions of identity amongst Ugandan Asian refugees in Canada. After more than 50 years of making Canada their home and establishing new roots, we’ll explore how personal identity construction embodies meaning in one’s sense of self in a myriad of ways.
As we will hear from research participants, some held hyphenated identities, were simply Canadians and nothing else, or others who challenged conceptions of national identity and what it means to be Canadian as it comes with needing to acknowledge the injustices within Canadian history and politics today.
You can learn more by visiting the Uganda Collection Website (https://carleton.ca/uganda-collection/) or reading a copy of Gifts From Amin: Ugandan Asian .Refugees in Canada (https://uofmpress.ca/books/gifts-from-amin).
3 May 2026
Episode 4 - Adjusting to Life in Canada
This episode focuses on how Ugandan Asian refugees and their families adjusted to their new lives in Canada. We’ll touch on the family reunification process, trying to find work in Canada, and their early settlement experiences.
You can learn more by visiting the Uganda Collection Website (https://carleton.ca/uganda-collection/) or reading a copy of Gifts From Amin: Ugandan Asian Refugees in Canada (https://uofmpress.ca/books/gifts-from-amin).
3 May 2026
Episode 3 - Responding and Living Through the Expulsion
This episode focuses on how Ugandan Asian refugees and their families navigated the realities of the expulsion decree made by President and Military General of Uganda Idi Amin.
We’ll hear from people who had to make tough family decisions based on their respective nationalities, where they were currently living – as some interviewees were in the UK studying abroad when the decree was announced, as well as the turbulent emotions they faced with just 90 days to leave the country.
You can learn more by visiting the Uganda Collection Website (https://carleton.ca/uganda-collection/) or reading a copy of Gifts From Amin: Ugandan Asian Refugees in Canada (https://uofmpress.ca/books/gifts-from-amin).
3 May 2026
Episode 2 - Roots and Race Relations in Uganda
This episode focuses on the historical roots of Ugandan Asian refugees and race relations in Uganda. South Asians as well as Arabs have a long history in East Africa which dates as far back as the ninth century. While the vast majority of migration did not pick up until European colonial rule, there are some Ugandan Asian families that can trace their ancestry in East Africa over several generations.
In the episode you'll hear about the childhoods of Ugandan Asian refugees and life before Idi Amin’s rise to power along with hearing from participants about the interactions between colonialists, Ugandan Asians, and Ugandan Africans. Scholars have referred to race relations in East Africa as a colonial sandwich that often placed white colonialists at the top, brown South Asians in the middle, and black Africans at the bottom.
You can learn more by visiting the Uganda Collection Website (https://carleton.ca/uganda-collection/) or reading a copy of Gifts From Amin: Ugandan Asian Refugees in Canada (https://uofmpress.ca/books/gifts-from-amin).
3 May 2026
Episode 1 - Introduction
Welcome to the first episode in our series! In our introductory podcast I’ll provide a high-level overview on the entire Ugandan Asian refugee resettlement in Canada along with some details on our oral history project.
The episode explores the historical roots of South Asians in Uganda, the lead up to the expulsion order by President Idi Amin, Canada's decision to resettle Ugandan Asians, and life after resettlement in Canada.
You can learn more by visiting the Uganda Collection Website (https://carleton.ca/uganda-collection/) or reading a copy of Gifts From Amin: Ugandan Asian Refugees in Canada (https://uofmpress.ca/books/gifts-from-amin).
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