it's a shame the protestors, who i think are right to protest this desecration of the forest reserve, have turned their ire on innocent bystanders. their own government has okayed this. wonder if the sugar corporation has had any meetings with the environmentalists to try to come up with alternate solutions. given uganda's history, they surely would have anticipated this backlash.

WGiiA, I was just scouring the newstab for something and I noticed that you had posted this there-- thank you for that. I was moved to blog it after watching the Beeb, but I'm glad you were even more on top of things (11am!) than I am.

It looks like it might have been a peaceful demonstration by the environmentalists until the cops opened fire:

"People were demonstrating peacefully when there was a misunderstanding with the police. All of a sudden they opened fire," environmental activist Frank Muramuzi told Reuters news agency. The BBC's Sarah Grainger in Kampala says protesters threw stones at the police and set fire to vehicles. An Asian motorcyclist was attacked and later beaten to death, witnesses say. [Link]

anna, thanks, i noticed it on bbc's website this morning, but hope you don't think that's why i commented on your post (to draw attention to my newstab link i mean) ! but i am glad you chose to blog about it. both sides of the story are very disheartening - the plans to destroy a large part of the reserve populated by endemic species and the hostile targeting of asians.

What an outrage. What brutes.

Oh wait. Mobs, burning vehicles, dragging away people and lynching them...why does it all sound familiar?

#7 you should be banned.

back to the story.
why am i not surprised?
maybe because my parents and extended family were kicked out years ago by idi amin....
i don't think i've ever felt comfortable about uganda since then..
hearing their own accounts, and other people's horrific situations kept me a bit... apprehensive..
especially when i went to see the country 8 years back, and saw the deluge of indian immigrants going there to make a 'better' life for themselves as my grandparents did decades prior...

when i asked my folks and others who were born and raised in uganda, if they would ever go back..
the answer was a resounding "NO"...
and they also said they were worried for the indians who had recently moved into the country..and for their safety..

all i remember when traveling there.. were huge army men stationed at every street corner in uganda with large rifles...
it was a bit unnerving...

the environmental thing bugs me as well.. cutting down forests, harming species, and the ecosystem isn't right...
demonstrating against it is a good thing, if that is what you believe..

but the entire haunting incidents from over 30 years ago are coming back to me....
it's like we (i'm being universal here) don't belong anywhere it seems these days..
and that in itself is tragic...

thanks for posting this, anna. my friends and i were in tanzania and kenya doing some medical/communityhealth work in january, and two of my brown friends travelled to kampala, uganda for two days (while i was taking care of a badly sprained ankle in nairobi, kenya). there were riots right outside the bus that they were riding, and they almost got tear-gassed by the police because they and a white man were trying to take photos of the riot.

From what I've read, I thought that south asians were slowly and more quietly integrating into Ugandan life after the Idi Amin reign. History is repeating itself. The mehta subsidiary sugar corporation should know better than to try to destroy so much ugandan land in the name of profits. They're doing bad by all south asians living there by provoking this kind of tension. I'm not saying the riots are admissable or "expected" or tolerated, but the indian businessmen shouldn't repeat history like that. I too, hope that these riots end. Race riots absolutely make no sense, but hey, like etlamay commented -- they ain't new to us either.

This is why my father and his family, like many others, left Africa. It's painful to see this start again. It's painful to hear his memories of events just like this. Like LosAnjalis, I thought that time was behind us and the assimilation process was renewing itself after Idi Amin. My father often says the reasons desis assimilated so quickly in the United States was because whenever we try to stay close to our culture and heritage in the other lands we visit, we are quickly persecuted and thrown out. This has broken my heart.

My father often says the reasons desis assimilated so quickly in the United States was because whenever we try to stay close to our culture and heritage in the other lands we visit, we are quickly persecuted and thrown out. This has broken my heart.

Hmm... I think a bit differently on this one. I think our assimilation in the U.S. has less to do with shedding our culture and heritage than with generally being a more elite, educated crowd of folks being imported over (brain drain, physicians, engineers, nurses, scientists, businesspeople). Likewise I think Indians who have been persecuted and thrown out of other countries have had those experiences LESS so because of trying to hold on to their culture and heritage and MORE so because of power dynamics that were created there (rich indian businesspeople and rich indian doctors living in a poor african country, maybe some exploitation also going on by indians towards some africans, this gets generalized to the whole crew of indian folks in the country, etc). So i think it's more multifactorial than how strongly we identify with our culture and heritage. I think it's definitely more related to rich/poor, privilege vs less-privilege, elitist outsider vs indigenous insider with no power or access.

I think it's definitely more related to rich/poor, privilege vs less-privilege, elitist outsider vs indigenous insider with no power or access.

i agree with the above statement.. it's more a economy/financial issue.. the indians in uganda, even in the past were seen as the more 'successful' minority in uganda....

Abhi's mom and her two other sisters were born in Kampala. Her parents went there in early forties. They employed so many local "Banas" for their business and other regular daily chores. The locals, most of the time were nice and easy to deal with. Her parents left Uganda in early sixties - before Idi Amin started driving all Indians (Asians) out - As I am told even then, they had to be careful not to offend them, and were told to always sleep with one eye open. It is a sad situation lately in Uganda. They can't do without Asians, at the same time they are jealous of them "Foren" folks who prosper so much in their country, and eventually become their boss. The level of sophistication, and threshold of tolerance is vastly different in African countries as opposed to some western hemisphere countries. [On second thought - look what happened in Joliet few days ago]. Jealousy and hatred runs deep - and hard wired in our species - The right to protest is not universally equal in all the countries of the world. These sort of incidents, unfortunately will keep on occuring. Sad!!

That's a good point, LosAnjalis. I was just remembering something my father said once. I always quietly wondered if there were other factors brought into it, but seeing the look in his eyes, I never pressed it. I don't think I'd get an unbiased response from my father, seeing as his father was Nyerere's personal physician. Power dynamic? Privileges? I agree completely.

But looking at this article, and remembering stories of my father watching his childhood school friends raped by disgruntled and drunken workers, I will respect his sentiments and hope this situation is resolved to end the passive prejudice (on both sides) that explodes into something larger.

Why aren't Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton out "protesting" the violence and
bigotry of these black Ugandans? Hey, let's have a national boycott of Ugandan
imports or something!! Why aren't they speaking out on this? Surely, they will
pressure someone someone to get some top Ugandan government official fired
or something, no?

I think it's definitely more related to rich/poor, privilege vs less-privilege, elitist outsider vs indigenous insider with no power or access.

I agree with this and also add that tolerance by western societies to immigrants should not be overlooked (inspite of isolated incidents like the one in Joliet and others).

It is a shame that this has to happen, unfortunately, it seems that too much in modern society, violence is the only way indigenous people can get any attention to their cause. If not for that, then really there is no press or anyone else who would stop this land grab. I'm not defending the violence, I'm saying CNN and other news aganecies need to stop spending 23 out of 24 hrs a day covering Imus and Anna Nicole and devote significant time to covering these outrages. If the people cared, our government would be forced to actually respond to these incidents instead of pumping billions into a pointless and misunderstood war.

Dino, you're comment is meant as a joke right?

There must have been a strong undercurrent of discontent/hatred towards asians. I would have thought the greens would have gone after the corporations, greed, government corruption etc. That this got turned against all asians shows that some of Amin's rhetoric still resonates with some black Ugandans.

Why aren't Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton out "protesting" the violence and bigotry of these black Ugandans? Hey, let's have a national boycott of Ugandan imports or something!! Why aren't they speaking out on this? Surely, they will pressure someone someone to get some top Ugandan government official fired or something, no?

i think he might have some truth here...

i know that sharpton and jackson said some things about the 'duke lacrosse' boys, due to them allegedly having an incident with an african american female (these charges were dropped this week), and yet , they have not been under the scrutiny to apologize, like they've made imus do this past week...

i get dino's gist.. and someone agree at his sarcasm...

There must have been a strong undercurrent of discontent/hatred towards asians.

there IS a strong undercurrent of hatred not only in uganda, but also in kenya and tanzania..

Um, Jackson and Sharpton are Americans and given the amount of time they spend on the issues facing black Americans I'm not sure where they are supposed to address attacks on Indians in Uganda that aren't just based on race, but also on socio-economic imbalance over which they have no power (much like here).

If these people are Indian citizens, then the Indian government needs to step up to the plate, raise a ruckus internationally, do whatever it takes for the Ugandan government to get their heads out their collective asses so this kind of ethnica/racial killings stop immediately and never happens in the future.

All things being equal I usually support the desi side in most situations, but this time, with their intent to destroy large areas of rain forest, that too for the (seemingly corrupt) sugar industry, I'm glad the Mehta group is facing this opposition. Of course I don't support innocent Indian bystanders getting attacked, nor do I condone the racism of the Africans (or the Indians as the case may be). What's encouraging is that the Ugandans are fighting to PRESERVE the forest...environmental issues in Africa usually consist of foreign groups trying to push preservation, and locals resenting that for economic and autonomy-related reasons.

The Desis need to do a better job of arming themselves. It seems that they already have well established connections in the Ugandan government so police protection is not a problem. But anyone looking to lauch a campaign against them only has to fan the flames and bribe security.

Mass Hysteria cases like attract delusional wannabe 'leaders' who want a cause to enhance their own power. These folks need to prepare themselves to take matters into their own hands in case Ugandan security fails them.

I realize dragging Messrs. Jackson and Sharpton into this subject was not apropos. Aside from capitalizing on relatively trivial issues (like Don Imus’ racial cracks) for the sake of massive publicity, Jackson and Sharpton have been notoriously silent on the wider topic of brutal, corrupt, inefficient black African governments and leaders. It is not in their “interest” to highlight such things.
However, in this day and age, I don’t think we will witness in Uganda the tragic events of the Amin era.

The book on this dynamic--violence against market-dominant minorities--is Amy Chua's World on Fire. Well worth anyone's reading time.

Los Anjalis wrote:

Likewise I think Indians who have been persecuted and thrown out of other countries have had those experiences LESS so because of trying to hold on to their culture and heritage and MORE so because of power dynamics that were created there (rich indian businesspeople and rich indian doctors living in a poor african country, maybe some exploitation also going on by indians towards some africans, this gets generalized to the whole crew of indian folks in the country, etc).

Generalizations are always to blame when innocent people get attacked, but Indians in Africa do not help their cause when they look down on Africans and/or treat them poorly. Too many Indians feel superior to blacks. I grew up in Zambia and have seen the attitude first-hand.

The best way for us to fight racism is to stop being racist ourselves.

By the way, can we enter a different word than "brown" in the box to prevent comment spam? I'd hate to go to a blog and have to enter the word "white" or "black." How about "mutiny"?

Jackson and Sharpton have been notoriously silent on the wider topic of brutal, corrupt, inefficient black African governments and leaders. It is not in their “interest” to highlight such things

Uh yeah...because they deal with AMERICAN issues. What part of that is so difficult to understand.

relatively trivial issues (like Don Imus’ racial cracks)

I beg your pardon?

By the way, can we enter a different word than "brown" in the box to prevent comment spam? I'd hate to go to a blog and have to enter the word "white" or "black." How about "mutiny

I think the day that "brown" is as recognized or loaded a term as "black" or "white" is when they should change it; it's not the same. Besides, there are far bigger technical fish to fry (by overworked volunteers who have more than enough to do) than the anti-spam word. I try not to sweat the small stuff.

Pondatti wrote:

I think the day that "brown" is as recognized or loaded a term as "black" or "white" is when they should change it; it's not the same. Besides, there are far bigger technical fish to fry (by overworked volunteers who have more than enough to do) than the anti-spam word. I try not to sweat the small stuff.

Perhaps you're right, perhaps it IS small stuff. I just think another word would be more welcoming to all the non-brown posters, who are a big part of the SM community.

Those words "Go back where you came from," never cease to frustrate me. First of all - I spent 9 months trying to get out of there I'm not going back. Secondly - where I came from? I wonder how many people hear that who were actually born in the very city/country they are being told to leave? Frankly - this whole planet is where I come from, a part of this species called homo sapien. This world belongs to all of us. Borders are just imaginary lines that we've drawn up to create organization amonst a lack thereof because for some reason people have this need to categorize and and organize almost everything (myself included). The hypocrisy just tickles me pink when some of the bigots are immigrants themselves - I mean originally - didn't we ALL come from some somewhere else? To those people I say - do a little research and I'm sure you'll find your family wasn't immaculately conceived in the country you now live in for the most part - especially in "newer" parts like North America where Caucasians began settling upon LEAVING EUROPE (not to exclude the multitude of other regions people have emmigrated from since early human colonization).

This land is my land - this land is your land - this land was made for - you and me...

Didn't everyone (English speaking) learn this song as a child?

Santosh, many people of South Asian ancestry in Uganda are UGANDAN. Desis have been in East Africa for hundreds of years, and in Uganda for at least several generations.

pea, I totally disagree, and Dino, I think it is spurious to conflate being black in America with African governments. These are two separate things. While I personally think it is important to look at civil rights from a broader human rights perspective, this rarely happens in the U.S., and it is not Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton's "fault" that this dialogue doesn't happen more regularly or dynamically.

ANNA, this news is disheartening and sad. Many of my friends in Uganda had mentioned that they felt that things were finally healing and "returning to normal" in Ugandan since the exile, the exodus, and then the trickling return of desis. Hearing this I'm a bit conflicted. On one hand, I can easily imagine the Ugandan police/soldiers opening fire and roughing up a peaceful protest, and I think the aims of the protest were spot on.

I think what has really plagued Uganda, especially recently, is that the economy continues to be described/covered in racialized terms. In effect, many desis have been labelled as "foreign" and have been scape-goated for a lot of things that are not their doing. The racialized economic structure? It goes back to times of British occupation. That said, desis are not the only wealthy people in Uganda, but (this is just my conjecture) perhaps it is easier to rail against someone "foreign" as opposed to someone "local." Sometimes I wonder if we are the Jews of Uganda.

This is really upsetting, and it makes it hard to wonder if folks will ever be able to live peaceably.

This land is my land - this land is your land - this land was made for - you and me...

They even have an Indian version of this song, that my ex learnt to sing in the convent school she went to. BTW, this was an actual convent school with nuns et al.

Generalizations are always to blame when innocent people get attacked, but Indians in Africa do not help their cause when they look down on Africans and/or treat them poorly. Too many Indians feel superior to blacks. I grew up in Zambia and have seen the attitude first-hand.

I agree, this is no different, maybe even worse than apartheid-era South Africa. Even worse if a foreign commercial entity was sabotaging their environment for profit.

There is no doubt that if this was an American company doing this, there would be no ambivalence and no hesitation to support the actions of the local population.

>Uh yeah...because they deal with AMERICAN issues. What part of that is so difficult to >understand.

"American" issues like apartheid in South Africa???? "American" issues like Israel-Palestine?
Jackson has repeatedly made himself out to be a so-called "voice" of the Third World and he
acts like he is some "international statesman" that nobody elected!

Jesse Jackson said who gives a crap? Ugandans don't speak English anyway.

I believe Mira Nair calls Uganda one of her homes, I would be love to hear her comments on this.

P.S. The above is not to say I endorse either side in this conflict. Regarding that line about the song at the end... I'm sure there are versions there of in many other languages as well, the same applies.

I don't think Sharpton or Jesse Jackson have to take any more interest in what is going on in Uganda, than say Clinton or any other human rights activist.

I hear this sentiment often, often by white people, - why doesn't African American activists be more outspoken about the atrocities and the corruption that are committed by many black African leaders?

But African Americans, unlike say many in the South Asian diaspora, do not have specific cultural ties to Africa. Their "immigration" into the US stripped them of much of their African heritage - like language, religion, tribe, even from which specific area in Africa they came from. It's not the same as how perhaps I'm assuming my great great grandchildren will feel about India, if they are aware of their Indian great great grandmother. Or how Americans with Irish heritage feel about Ireland; many of these Americans still have religious and geographic understanding of where their ancestors came from

Compare what happened in the former Yugoslavia - why weren't there cries that all white people should make an outcry b/c the war involved white people? - Instead there was a call that everyone should do something about this human rights travesty. What has happened in Uganda affects everyone who cares about human rights. I'm worried as a South Asian, b/c of my strong ties to the country that I was born in and that transfers to the predicament of the South Asian diaspora. I don't think Sharpton can really relate in that manner to the black Ugandans.

Hope I'm being articulate.

Dino,

Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton should get involved? That is utterly absurd and shows complete ignorance of the historical relationship between African Americans and Africa. You might as well just say that all people with a specific skin color should involve themselves in each other's issues--regardless of where they are in the world and how they got there. And the fact that you think the Imus issue is "trivial" shows that Jesse and Al still have a lot of work to do at home before they can concern themselves with race relations on a completely different continent.

This land is my land - this land is your land - this land was made for - you and me...

Where the wind is blowing I go a strolling The wheat field waving and the dust a rolling The fog is lifting and the wind is saying: This land is made for you and me...

In the squares of the city, In the shadow of a steeple;
By the relief office, I'd seen my people.
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking,
Is this land made for you and me?

As I went walking, I saw a sign there;
And on the sign there, It said, 'NO TRESPASSING.'
But on the other side, It didn't say nothing.
That side was made for you and me.

Some tidbits from a Reuters article:

Uganda's president assured Kampala residents of their safety on Friday, a day after rioters targeting Asians stoned one man to death during a protest over an Indian firm's plans to develop part of a rainforest reserve.

So far so good. But this bit is little worrying (emphasis added):

"To attack, insult or damage the property of any Ugandan or guests of Uganda is something the government will not tolerate," President Yoweri Museveni said in a statement, expressing his condolences to the families of the three people killed.

Museveni could be speaking about international business interests (the Mehta Group lists its operations in Asia, Europe, North America and Africa), recognizing that the Ugandan government has relationships with international businesses (inncluding the Mehta Group) who operate as "guest of Uganda."

But that phrase resonates with the old (and false) notion that Asians in East Africa are not locals but foreign elements, siphoning funds from the economy and not sharing the spoils with black Africans.

But at least Museveni is coming down firmly on the side of law and order:

"I want to assure Ugandans that such hooliganism will not be allowed to happen again, and to warn those that do not want to follow the law they will pay heavily," he added.

Of course, the reality is that Indian-owned businesses in East Africa are heavily internationalized. In addition to Ugandan Asian companies, there are Kenyan Asian companies, Indian companies, Indo-British companies, Chinese, American, South African, European, and every other configuration. Museveni knows this. It's rare that the needs of lucrative international business and local minorities coincide, so it's hard to imagine the Ugandan government not doing the right thing.

Jesse Jackson said who gives a crap? Ugandans don't speak English anyway.

Camille,
I realize they are mostly Ugandans. I dont know much about that part of the world but I remember watching this certain movie that featured Nehru as an Ugandan-Indian. That is why I used "if" at the beginning of my sentence :-)

Santosh, I wasn't trying to chastise. Just trying to keep us away from what Preston also mentioned - that desis are often labelled as "foreign," when in fact they are deeply Ugandan. And I think many would say something to that effect as well (i.e. that they are Ugandan or Ugandan Asian, not simply Asian or Indian).

Off topic, I know,but I always find Woody Guthrie fascinating.

Camille, no way! I never knew that about the missing lyrics. I just listened to the Woody Guthrie recording of the song I have on my ipod to make sure I hadn't missed them, but they are not on that version of the song. Do you know if he ever recorded it with those lyrics?

Camille,

Be that as it may (the song being about the depression) we can still derive some pertinent messages from the song. Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to live and enjoy each and every one of life's facets. This standard mentioned about the trespassing sign I think screams out about this Uganda situation. Think about it... the indigenous people don't want the "xenos" in their space, but would be mollified if their situations were reversed.

I have a good bit of quotable text from a book I read a few months back regarding Indian slaves being brought to Jamaica and the interactions therein, but as I can't remember it all, I'll hold off on rambling about that till I'm home from work.

shiksa, I'm fairly sure he did... Let me see if I can find a recording/version in some kind of digital form. I'll have to ask around - most of my friends have Woodie Guthrie recordings, but not on CD (at least not the live stuff). Those phrases were originally omitted when his lyrics were printed on pamphlets, but I've heard the full version before, and I'm pretty sure it was him!

MCJ, I'm not criticizing, just providing historical context. I think the song is beautiful and that it takes on new meanings for different people in different times. I think the "trespassing" comment is spot-on, but I do think it's important to acknowledge that it humanizes and brings attention to the experiences of the American poor during the Depression.

Wow, do I really come off this critical? (First Santosh, now MCJ) I'm just one of those people who likes "random facts." I'm not trying to come off as some crazy person who corrects everyone else to show how nerdily smart they are. I just think it's interesting to know the backstory.

Anna, I applaud you for covering this issue.

I am really dismayed how some commenters here are implying that there might be an ' explanation ' or a ' root cause ' behind the lynchings. If not why not just unequivocally condemn the rioting and why bring up - " The mehta subsidiary sugar corporation should know better than to try to destroy so much ugandan land in the name of profits. They're doing bad by all south asians living there by provoking this kind of tension. I'm not saying the riots are admissable or "expected" or tolerated, but the indian businessmen shouldn't repeat history like that" or this -" Generalizations are always to blame when innocent people get attacked, but Indians in Africa do not help their cause when they look down on Africans and/or treat them poorly. Too many Indians feel superior to blacks"?

Would any of you dare list such extenuating factors when talking about relatively innocuous White racism in the West? "That cop in Joilet must have been really pissed after 9/11. His anger is understandable." And here people are gettin dragged, stoned and then burnt to death. Camille even tries to lay the blame on British. Talk about soft bigotry of low expectations.

" The level of sophistication, and threshold of tolerance is vastly different in African countries as opposed to some western hemisphere countries. [On second thought - look what happened in Joliet few days ago]. "

Yo Dad, with all due respect there's no equivalence between the two. I hope you will agree. Besides the cop incident is still under investigation.

Besides, racism and brutality directed at Asians in Africa is relatively pervasive. On the other hand in the West they are one-off cases. But from the comments on this post and the Joilet one the opposite appears to be true.

Just for the sake of accuracy--

The mehta subsidiary sugar corporation should know better than to try to destroy so much ugandan land in the name of profits

The Ugandan government itself (and not Mehta) is behind the move the cut into the rain forest preserve. From Reuters:

The latest controversy began last year when Museveni ordered a study into whether to slash 17,000 acres, or nearly a third, of Mabira Forest to expand the sugar plantations of the Indian-owned Mehta Group.

S.C. Sharma, regional director of the Sugar Corporation of Uganda, a Mehta subsidiary, said Thursday's violence was tragic.

"We are extremely sorry about what happened. The loss of life was most unfortunate," Sharma told Reuters. "The whole thing is taking a political turn and we are sorry about that."

Mabira, which lies about 50 km east of Kampala, has been a nature reserve since 1932. Critics say losing part of it would have grave ecological consequences, from increased soil erosion to the drying up of rivers and rainfall, and the removal of a buffer against polluting nearby Lake Victoria.

Museveni says conservation is a luxury not afforded by poor countries seeking development, and that he will not be swayed people who fail to see Africa's future lies in processing goods.

DRH, I am getting really tired of you. Not only do you blatantly misrepresent the views of others, but half the time your conclusions are totally irrelvant. While you bring up several valid points, I find it difficult to give your writing the time of day giving how hateful and vitriolic you are in your general discussion. I know it's not my place to say this, but this is a discussion board, and some common courtesy would be appreciated.

Furthermore, I did not blame the situation on the British, nor do I excuse the violence that desis face in Uganda. My point was that the (very much racialized) economic structure that exists in Uganda is not the doing of Asians in Uganda or of Africans in Uganda, but both are suffering in the fallout, and people are capitalizing on creating scape-goats out of desis. That was the limit of my statement.

Camille,

I did not take your words as overly critical at all. Just re-supporting arguments, and trying to make your tangent less of a derail :) I apologize if i sounded like I was lashing back at you!

TBH I'm a bit of a whore for esoteric tidbits of information :) Sorry I'm new here (Sepia Mutiny) - may take people a little while to know that I rarely get angry or take offense to anything no matter how blunt or scathing my comments may seem.

Nothing but love :) (and a little bit of cynicism)

"Museveni says conservation is a luxury not afforded by poor countries seeking development, and that he will not be swayed people who fail to see Africa's future lies in processing goods."

but destroying unique (even though it's secondary forest) ecosystems and habitats and a forest that can also be financially rewarding if managed properly - people are already encroaching - via enrichment plantings, eco-tourism (it's already a draw) - for a monocrop (like Indonesia destroying its forests for palm oil crops) might prove to be even more unaffordable in the long run.

this article discusses some of the potential and probably long-term impacts of the deforestation.

this article supports the mehta group and is complimentary of its founder. although it's good they help replant trees and do seem to show concern for local development, they still cannot recreate the specific forest conditions that maintain the species found there. scientists haven't even discovered all the species yet, much less isolated what all the exact conditions are for their survival.

But that phrase resonates with the old (and false) notion that Asians in East Africa are not locals but foreign elements, siphoning funds from the economy and not sharing the spoils with black Africans.

Actually, many of the Indians in East Africa are citizens of India, and as such are guest workers. Not all the Asians are locals.

My point was that the (very much racialized) economic structure that exists in Uganda is not the doing of Asians

Excuse me, but what is a "racialized economic structure"? I'm sorry, I have no idea what this means. Is there a non-racialized economic structure? Where can it be found?

This article/issue hits ever so close to home. So thank you Sepia Mutiny for providing such forum where I feel comfortable enough that I can purge some of my thoughts on this.

My father (an Indian citizen) was killed in Uganda while he was there on assignment for an Indian firm in the late 70's, a few years after Amin's regime. He was close to finishing a project there for the Indian firm, and was to return to India soon after. But tragically he was shot along with two other Indian colleagues on their way home from work one day after being stopped at a roadblock. The details of that situation are very very vague. Anytime I ask my family members for more details, where, why, how and other questions, they answer that they were not really given anymore information/details from that Indian firm and Indian government officials.

The repercussions of this event to say the least catapulted my life drastically and deeply affected the lives of many in my family in some way or another. What is really sad and thought provoking is the lack of information that exists. I have no mental images or memories of my father (as I was just born) due to this event and therefore have always tried to gain as much information as possible about him as a person, his job, and details surrounding the tragedy he faced.

I always wondered what he was doing in Uganda just a few years after the end of Amin's regin of terror and the general anti-Asian/anti-foreign attitudes present then (and now). I just seems like that period of time was too hot politically, too risky for an Indian to be there. It seems that Ugandan politics/society and infrastructure was in dismay at the time and information and records on such human rights violations would be very difficult to track down, this is the most frustrating thing to come to terms with, that there may never be any real closure.

So as I read and watch the tragic events unfolding there now, I am moved. Growing up here in the U.S. I have seen the effects of economic disparity and the frustration and chasms it causes within societies and amongst peoples or groups. It is obvious that there are anti-Asian sentiments which have lingered in that country, but the linkages of those sentiments with the economic stratification in Uganda must be admitted.
On the other hand the solution to such disparity is never to be found through violence and unsavory methods. And corporations such as the Metha corporation must be more aware and in tune with political risk issues when conducting business dealings abroad. Big business is not the only culprit, but very much responsible. Obviously, the government (in this case Uganda's) dealing with big business must also be strategically planned, as in taking into consideration the political climate and potential repercussions of certain business initiatives.

Indians in Uganda and Indo-Ugandans are in a very precarious situation. Hopefully things will settle in Uganda. There must be a better solution as environmental issues must not be ignored, but neither should human rights issues. I cant help thinking though... why and how the f___ can this environmental issue translate to such malicious reactions? This proves the extent to which economic realities will induce the blamegame, and history will repeat itself as people have mentioned above.

Ankor Watt, I am so sorry about your Father.

Thank you for your words, for bringing a worrisome-yet-distant issue closer to us, so we can grasp it more fully. I am glad that you felt like you could be open here.

I would like to know if there were any Asians protesting alongside the Africans because if they weren't...

Until Asians in Uganda and other parts of Africa become a part of African society (not live apart from it) these unfortunate incidents will continue to occur.

Until Asians in Uganda and other parts of Africa become a part of African society (not live apart from it) these unfortunate incidents will continue to occur.

I don't have a lot of specifics about the Indian immigrant community in East Africa - but I do know this - that the roots of the community go back many, many, generations - perhaps even to the time before European hegemony - before the 15th century. There are certainly people with more recent roots there, some who arrived during the colonial period, and there are also Indian-born 'guest workers', as someone pointed out.

That Indians ('Asians') are still perceived as 'racially-distinct' and therefore 'outsiders' - is related to the automatic otherization of racial difference, a xenophobic majoritarianism, and a non-inclusive perception of what is actually indigenous cultural variation. It is also related to the 'racialized economic structure' that someone mentioned. The Indian-origin communities of East Africa are quite possibly the oldest Indian diasporic communities anywhere, along with those in South-east Asia. The onus of establishing positive minority-majority relationships cannot lie solely with the Indian ('Asian') community. The majority also needs to realize that the Indian racial minority among them are just as African as anyone. After all, this is what we ask here in America, don't we?

This isnt an environmental or immigration issue. Its part of a pattern that has been repeating itself for years on the African continent. The Africans get exploited for their labor, land or resources while their leaders or corporations or colonial masters hoard the wealth. Their powerlessness leads to attacking each other or any available scapegoat. So if Indians choose to live in a place where they are reaping a benefit from this kind of exploitative situation, why is it surprising to anyone that the incident happened? Its the name of the game over there.
Instead of sleeping with "one eye open", why not just go where you're comfortable?

I don't buy it Chachaji! All you have conveyed is an Asian's right to live in an African country and consider themselves African. I agree with that, so, where are the Asians in this protest of the government and Mehta group? You did not address that!

It is obvious these communities in Uganda are separate from each other and I do not buy that it is the Africans themselves who create and maintain this separatism. Please, who is really xenophobic? Next, I'll be reading from you how Indians are just providing a service and how dumb Africans are because they do not know how to provide for themselves. I am so sick of people from any community justifiying prejudice and racism for monetary gain!

Monmoni, I could not agree with you more. You summed up the issue in a nutshell.

Kali Billi, I conceded that I do not have specifics regarding the current situation in Uganda right in the beginning of my comment. So I cannot address the issue of where Indians ('Asians') are in the current environmental protest. However I would be very surprized if either the groups opposing or supporting the expansion fully polarized on racial or ethnic lines. I would fully expect demagogues, however, to make this claim to further their own agendas.

I highlight only that the Indian ('Asian') community has long historical roots in East Africa, predating the present form of the racialized economic structure, perhaps even the present conception of race. In addition to that, I simply cannot buy into any system of logic to justify the scapegoating or killing of innocents based on somebody's perception of what some other people who may look like them might be "gaining" from the current structure.

Monimoni's suggestion to go 'where you're comfortable' is so off the scale it doesn't even deserve a response.

That's all I have to say.

I agree with that, so, where are the Asians in this protest of the government and Mehta group? You did not address that!

Perhaps the Asians (all of them?) feel that the protest is not justified? Why is that wrong? The position may be misguided but so what? That justifies the killing?

No one is trying to deny that there are Indian racists; for that matter, so are there African racists. The type of Hutu-Tutsi rivalry leading to genocide in Rwanda, for example. (The situation in Rwanda may have links to colonialism but not all the blame can be put there.) In this eagerness to blame Indians (presumably, mostly all racists), we forget that this type of rationalisation is not only ill-advised but it shows condescension towards Africans. When someone make statements like "why is it surprising that such incidents occured?" then I get the feeling that Africans are being held to a "lower" standard of behavior. If that is not condescension, I don't know what is.

If there are Africans reading this, perhaps they could share their opinions. Personally, I feel annoyed when I encounter "Whites" making such excuses for Indians. When I saw the movie "Hotel Rwanda," I could not help noticing that the blame for the failure to intervene in Rwanda was put squarely on the US and European countries. But China, India and other such countries could have easily put together a force to intervene and prevent the genocide as the rebels in Rwanda were not hi-tech armies. Presumably, since these are "third world" countries, such intervention was not expected of them. As an Indian (from India), I felt irritated and annoyed. I was also saddened that India did not intervene or even offer to do so. (Of course, I was also deeply moved by the movie.)

You would think a multinational company- regardless of the government being 'in on it' or not would have been more in tune with local environmental feelings. From this BBC story - it does not sound like this was a spur of the moment protest. source

... forget that this type of rationalisation is not only ill-advised but it shows condescension towards Africans

That is human nature- not unique to Africans. Though people do have a tendency to tribalize any discussions concerning Africa when people in the 1st world can be just as tribal. Philip Gourvitch's book on Rwanda gave a factual historical account of the INTERNATIONAL community [UN] failure in the lack of intervention , help in the aftermath, reconciliation- pursing crimes against humanity etc. He also detailed some of the shenanigans/double speak that went on during President Clinton's and Kofi Annan's respective administrations regarding the situation.

I can't give you an 'African' perspective or a Chinese perspective***--- but the human perspective is people looking out for their own/(group) best interest. To extrapolate a bit furthur-Jeffery Sachs notes that the idea of peace keepers *ALONE* being able to resolve the lack of RESOURCE issues in Darfur was just silly. We know China does not have a strong internal human rights record. What they do have ,is a strong presence in the UN, and a very vested interest in Sudanese Oil- that has an impact on what other countries will or will not do there.

***Preston (#23)- I've commented /responded to you on this blog ,about this book before... You have linked it it multiple times. I've read Amy Chau's book. I'm glad I did- its insightful, but not really revolutionary in terms of development economics. The successive governments in the Philippines and many, many countries in Africa are 'predatory'-- not looking out for the long run. She has a not very flattering prognostication of what would/could happen to all our [American] talk of merit based, hard work, etc. if the "elites" in high profile postitions (in the US) were to change from the the existing status quo to a 'different' one that had no interest in assimilation with the 'others'. In fact the subtitle is a dig at the neo-con naivety of "exporting" democracy to places that do not have the social structures in place to deal with it (Iraq?)

This of course is nothing compared to what africans have done to each other (example: hutus vs tutsis); or what european catholics and protestants have done to each other, and to jews and gypsies; or what Indonesians have done to the chinese in their country; or what hindus, muslims and sikhs in the subcontinent have done to each other in recent memory.

Economic success alone does not explain this phenomenon. Gypsies (originally from northwest India) were (and still are) the lowest of the low in Europe; and indians in Malaysia are at the bottom by all measures yet equally loathed. The muslim victims of the Gujarat communal riots or the Hindu victims in the East Pakistan genocide in 1971 weren't economically dominant communities either.

Monimoni's suggestion to go 'where you're comfortable' is so off the scale it doesn't even deserve a response.

Chachaji,

As a guju girl who was born in East Africa, who lived there for 18 years and who still has immediate family there, the idea of 'going where you're comfortable' is like religious doctrine. There are some areas where you are simply not welcome if you're not black. It's as simple as that.

The issue in Uganda definitely brings a giant issue to the forefront. While numerous Indians go around calling themselves Africans etc, there are in essence, VERY few who actually try to assimilate or do things for the betterment of the entire country. Most of the Indians in East Africa that I know fly under the radar and are more concerned with their bottom lines. I'm not saying that the people attacked in this mess brought it on themselves but it does make you question, 'why would a random Indian be attacked because of what an Indian owned business did?'.

As someone pointed out above, because of the aloof ways by which Indians in Africa conduct their lives, a lot of them are still considered outsiders. The bigotry is present on both sides and there is distrust on both sides too.

I guess my point is that we need to keep an open mind and ask why this is happening. You cannot go around in your beemer and mistreat your house help and then expect not to be the target of rage because someone like the Mehta Group does something idiotic like this.

While numerous Indians go around calling themselves Africans etc, there are in essence, VERY few who actually try to assimilate or do things for the betterment of the entire country. Most of the Indians in East Africa that I know fly under the radar and are more concerned with their bottom lines.

What exactly is assimilation? Why is it the Indians duty to "assimilate" themselves whatever that means? Who decides when someone has successfully passed the assimilation test? You? I must say that there's an underlying presumption notwithstanding the disclaimers that the Indians more-or-less deserved what they got.

I would also like to note that I currently live in the UK where I keep hearing about the lack of Muslim assimilation. So can your logic be used to argue that Muslims more-or-less deserved it (with appropriate disclaimers, of course) the next time there is an incident involving Muslims in the UK? If not, why not?

I guess my point is that we need to keep an open mind and ask why this is happening.

By all means. And let's get all our facts while we do that.

You cannot go around in your beemer and mistreat your house help and then expect not to be the target of rage because someone like the Mehta Group does something idiotic like this.

Someone like ? The Government of Uganda holds a controlling interest in the Mehta Group. The ordinary man-in-the-street Indian ('Asian') should be held responsible for their decisions ? No community is a monolith, simple "rationalizations" are almost always wrong. Both 'native Ugandans' and 'Indians ('Asians')' would have "gained" from the development of the rain forest. And lost too, I would hasten to add. Racial rage like this is easy to incite, hard to control, and its effects can be indiscriminate, horrific, and almost always misdirected. Demagoguery and false dichotomies, on the other hand, are easy.

In your beemer ? Here's an excerpt from Anna's post above:

I'm also horrified by the footage I just saw on the BBC World service, of a motorcycle engulfed in flames; the man riding it had looked Asian, so he was dragged off of it and beaten so severely, he later died. When they interviewed members of the raucous crowd, I heard words which are uttered far too frequently; "Maybe they'll go back to where they came from."

i think you could assign partial blame for potholes, unkempt streets or other civic ills to civic disengagement by a significant portion of the business (read: Indian) community in Uganda. However it's entirely irrational to hold them accountable for the actions of an entity in which the government has such a huge stake. The rocks should have been thrown at their elected officials, and not innocent Indians on the streets.

Chachaji, Suresh et all, I didn't mean to say that the asians deserved what happened to them. I meant to point out that bigotry of this kind of not something that any single race is responsible for. The distrust between the two people is not something that is due to recent times. It has been there since Indians and even white people went to Africa to make their lives. It takes two to create trust and prosperity, not just one kind of person.

Suresh, I am not a judge of what succesful assimilation is but at least 6/10 indians that I know in Africa still treat the place as somewhere to make a buck and get out. When the Mehta Group in Uganda or Kamlesh Pattni like thugs get themselves in the news for the wrong reason, it's very easy for the entire african population to think that every 'baniani' (indian) is a crook.

I would also like to note that I currently live in the UK where I keep hearing about the lack of Muslim assimilation. So can your logic be used to argue that Muslims more-or-less deserved it (with appropriate disclaimers, of course) the next time there is an incident involving Muslims in the UK? If not, why not?

I don't live in the UK so I cannot speak about the lengths that Muslims there go to become a part of the country and culture that they are a part of. However, I have lived in East Africa and have seen that a lot of times, it is Indians themselves who create a sense of distrust and antagonism. That being said, it is completely irrational to pick on an indian because you are pissed off at a decision made by an indian company. You know that and I know that. But do you think that a person on a rage high would realize that it's not fair to atack a bystander who had nothing to do with the problem on hand. Are they thinking about whether the person they are attacking is guilty or not? No. The people who created this mayhem are more often then not educated african youngsters who are extremely frustrated at the lack of jobs, food and shelter. They are likely thinking that their lives are screwed because of the rich indian and his business decisions.

But do you think that a person on a rage high would realize that it's not fair to atack a bystander who had nothing to do with the problem on hand. Are they thinking about whether the person they are attacking is guilty or not? No.

Yes, I have seen this "logic" applied in India to justify killings of Muslims, Sikhs etc. Do you even realize what you are saying?

Anyway, my last word on this subject. The very notion of "assimilation" presumes that there is a "right" identity to which all groups in the country must subscribe to. This is questionable. Indeed, the logic of "assimilation" is exactly what the right-wing in India (BJP and the more extreme parts like Shiv Sena, VHP etc.) uses to argue that Muslims are not "Indians" or at least "full Indians."

I am not fully aware of the colonial history of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania etc. But I think, as in other ex-colonial countries, the very notion of being "Kenyan" or "Ugandan" is something that came about because of the colonial presence. Let alone Asians, it is not clear that all the indigenous groups in these countries subscribe to this constructed identity: otherwise, why do you have things like the Lord's Resistance Army? Even in India, the constructed notion of being "Indian" is not something everyone buys into: if you check, you will find dozens of groups (in Kashmir, Nagaland etc.) who are fighting to be free of the "Indian" presence. In such a scenario, to blame "Asians" for not "assimilating" is not something I buy. It will take time, I think, before a fully inclusive "Kenyan" or "Ugandan" identity will be constructed. It is not going to be easy as the experience in other formerly colonial countries shows.

None of this questions the fact that some "Asians" are racists, as indeed are some "Africans." All I am saying is we do no one any service by attempting to rationalize racist acts - whether they come from the "Asian" side or the "African" side.

The very notion of "assimilation" presumes that there is a "right" identity to which all groups in the country must subscribe to. This is questionable.

All I am saying is we do no one any service by attempting to rationalize racist acts - whether they come from the "Asian" side or the "African" side.

Well If that all your saying it sounds lovely. A bit unrealistic and unmindful of history but it's certainly not offensive. Talking about about underlying structures, preventative measures on the other hand just might be[to all parties],it might even require action. Solution- lets all just say never again! The sad thing is it keeps happening again and again.

Well If that all your saying it sounds lovely. A bit unrealistic and unmindful of history but it's certainly not offensive. Talking about about underlying structures, preventative measures on the other hand just might be[to all parties],it might even require action. Solution- lets all just say never again! The sad thing is it keeps happening again and again.

Right - does saying I am opposed to rationalising racist acts amount to saying that one shouldn't work towards understanding each other and preventing such acts in future? Presumably...The next time there is a racist attack on Indians in the US, I look forward to hearing you talk about underlying structures blah blah.

With this degree of misrepresentation, I really have nothing more to add. G'bye.

You can't work towards anything with out talking about what you are working TOWARDS and AWAY from.
Some people might call that convergence, some people might call it rationalization. I am not trying to be polemic but your comments on assimilation** just do not stand up to the realities in the UK today nor the on the ground realities in Kenya, Sudan, Iraq any where else.

[**note Blair's recent comment on what he termed black culture]

cheers!

Kenya Uganda

Suresh,

Not one person has rationalised racism or violence. This kind of mad, senseless violence goes on everywhere. It happens in India as we all know. Its always the innocent who suffer, whether its those poor Asians who were murdered brutally in Uganda, or those poor people who have been brutally murdered in communal riots in India. The only way to stop the madness is to understand the underlying causes of it.

There were several comments about how Indians look down on Africans in Africa. Well, Indians look down on African Americans here. And Indians look down on African students, visitors, etc. in India. Indians should stop looking down on people in general.

More updates:

The Monitor (Kampala)

The tragic death of three people - two Ugandans and an Asian -- during Thursday's 'Save Mabira' demonstration and subsequent racial attacks against Asians could negatively impact Uganda's investment climate.

Uganda Investment Authority boss Maggie Kigozi says such an incident might not only discourage Asian investors -- but other foreigners in and out of Uganda.

Talking to Sunday Monitor, on Friday, she said: "It was a detrimental and unfortunate happening. India is a top investor in the country. Yet it [racial attack] will not only affect the Indians but all other investors interested in Uganda."

Dr Kigozi revealed that India was the third largest investor in Uganda after the United Kingdom and Kenya. Between January 2006 and December 2006, Indian investors contributed $151 million worth of investments in Uganda. They were also the leading investors between January- March 2007 with 92 new investment projects.

[snip]

The incident happened at the brink of negotiations with a new investor who is one of the largest investors in Gujarat. She said the latter who is opening a shopping mall near St Balikuddembe [Owino] Market, plans to invest in horticulture, housing estates among other ventures.

"You can imagine what image he got from all this. Indians have created numerous jobs for the country, they have been here for a long time, and many of them are Ugandans. You beat up a man who has lived here all his life and even has a Ugandan passport, where do you want him to go?" she wondered.

New Vision (Kampala)

The body of Devang Rawal, the 25-year-old Indian who was killed by an angry mob last Thursday, arrived in India yesterday.

Rawal, who came from Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarati state, was stoned and beaten to death during a protest against the planned give-away of part of Mabira Forest to an Indian-owned sugar company.

[snip]

Unlike many other Asians, Rawal was barely two years in Uganda where he had been a sales representative for Translink, a company importing products of Johnson and Johnson and Nestle products.

Ahmedabad Newsline, another online newspaper in India, reported that the violence in Uganda had given many inhabitants of Gujarati sleepless nights. There had been a flurry of phone calls to London and Kampala as people tried to find out whether their relatives were safe.

The paper claimed that 95% of all Indian businesses in Uganda were owned by people from Gujarati and that the majority work for the Mehta group. It said more than 15,000 Patels were living in Kampala. Patel is a common name in Gujarati.

The Monitor (Kampala)

The Indian Community in Uganda has attacked the Mehta Group chief, Mr Mahendra N. Mehta for making what they describe as insensitive statements about Mabira Forest.

During a five-hour meeting on Friday at their association headquarters in Nakasero, Kampala, on Friday, the Indians were bitter that Mr J. S. Mehta's demand for the forest and his subsequent statements had inflamed the locals against all Indians.

Senior members of the Indian community told Sunday Monitor that they were particularly incensed by Mehta's reasoning that if Ugandans refused to buy his sugar, he would export it to the DR Congo or to Juba in South Sudan.

"Our community is saying that if he wants to export the sugar, then what is he doing in Uganda? Why does he want the Ugandan forest?" said some Indians. The coordinator of the Indian Association, Singh Parminder, confirmed that most Indians were unhappy with Mr Mehta's utterances. "As an association, we disassociated ourselves from individual comments. He (Mehta) cannot talk like that," Mr Singh told Sunday Monitor yesterday.

One other observation:

Ahmedabad Newsline's claim (quoted in that New Vision article) that there are 15,000 Patels in Kampala just can't be true. The Indian government's own survey of the diaspora in 2000 estimated 12,000 PIOs and NRIs in all of Uganda. The trend would be for the numbers to hold steady or decline (better jobs and educational opportunities elsewhere for an increasingly wealthy and mobile community). Not that there is not a significant Indian presence in Uganda--just that the community is not as large or obvious as it was in previous generations. The Asian population in 1972, at the time of the Amin purge, was 50,000.

Chachaji,

My comment was meant to reflect that if you decide to leave your native country and settle where there is exploitation, colonialism, corruption etc, you should be aware of the consequences for yourself and your children. I dont think any of the Indians went there without knowing the history of the place, and believing it's a country whose leaders promote fairness and acceptance.
BTW, my husband's uncle was shot by a worker at his business in Kenya in the 60's. I know many other examples of this, yet there is still a large Indian community in Kenya. There must be something keeping them there.
Also, as much as new immigrants from India complain about the loose morality etc in the US, they choose to settle here, presumably after working out a risk-benefit ratio which must be pretty appealing.
You cant have your cake and eat it too!

Not one person has rationalised racism or violence.

Some of the comments do strike me as rationalising what happened. There is a thin line between "understanding" and "rationalising" and to my mind, the line was crossed. Also, there is only so much "understanding" it is possible to give - how much "understanding" do you want to give the murderers in Delhi 1984? in Gujarat 2002? to the Nazis? to the perpetrators of the Rwanda genocide?

This kind of mad, senseless violence goes on everywhere. It happens in India as we all know. Its always the innocent who suffer, whether its those poor Asians who were murdered brutally in Uganda, or those poor people who have been brutally murdered in communal riots in India. The only way to stop the madness is to understand the underlying causes of it.

If the violence is indeed "mad" and "senseless," what is there to understand? You can prevent violence only if you think it is motivated with a purpose. In India, some of the recent work indeed take the viewpoint that riots are deliberately engineered. See, for instance, the American scholar Paul Brass's "The Production of Hindu-Muslim Violence in Contemporary India." Note the deliberate use of the word "production."

There were several comments about how Indians look down on Africans in Africa. Well, Indians look down on African Americans here. And Indians look down on African students, visitors, etc. in India. Indians should stop looking down on people in general.

Some "whites" look down on African-Americans also; so do some Chinese, Japanese, whatever. Within the African-American community also, there are issues - from what I understand, there is a preference for "light skin." There are issues confronting all communities that I guess, Americans as a whole have to address. As an Indian, I know perfectly well there are any number of social problems confronting us in India. Have I denied it? Look again at my posts. What is your point?

Regarding your last sentence - are you always this pompous? Presumably, you are the sole shining exception to the rule!

There are lots of stories coming out of Uganda about the recent attacks, nearly all of which condemn the violence and tribalism of the incident.

Here's an interesting opinion piece, from a Nairobi newspaper, calling for for more political engagement among East Africa's Indians:

The fact that today there isn't an East African capital where a national of Asian descent occupies a prominent public post testifies to a failure of the multicultural project.

Ironically, one of the reasons Asians have become politically marginalised was the advance of democracy. Politics became more tribal, and the broad coalition of agendas - including Asian commercial interests - embraced by the independence parties collapsed.

IN THE PAST, THE UNPOPULAR figure of the foul-mouthed Asian shopkeeper was cancelled out by the prestigious persons of an Asian Speaker of parliament or mayor. Today, most respectable Asian figures court a low public profile or even "invisibility".

There's no longer an Asian voice in politics in East Africa to put the community's side of the story or to defend itself against xenophobic propaganda. Instead, it's the Kamlesh Pattnis and forest cutters like the Mehtas who have become its public face, even though they are a tiny minority.

To improve the situation, Asians will have to re-engage politically again as they did in the 1960s. If sectarian voting patterns make that impossible, then they should be given special seats. In Uganda, there are probably more Asians in the country than disabled persons. However, the disabled have special seats in parliament and the Asians don't.

Yes Preston- and here we come to your favorite book again right? The subtitle of which is: "How exporting free market democracy breeds ethnic hatred and global instability". Your excerpts above illustrate this. "Indians" who live in Africa will not have the sheer numbers to effect a democratic outcome. In the US I'm sure you are aware the electoral college prevents our elections from being purely a popularity contest. Amy Chau is not all doom and gloom she does give some prescriptive solutions for the Philippines, Russia and other NON AFRICAN countries that she discusses in the book. Even OMGWTFBBQ!!!! our very own USA. Wasn't Debbie Schlussel 'concern' that "furriners" that Americans have 'imported' are causing mayhem??

One of the many reason's blogs like this are important is because people may feel less inhibited than they might otherwise feel to express their thoughts,opinions etc. And perhaps learn about other people/groups that they might not interact with 'in real life'. Sometimes that might be just as hard as a fish swimming in water ,trying to understand humans walking in the ground.

Some "whites" look down on African-Americans also; so do some Chinese, Japanese, whatever. Within the African-American community also, there are issues - from what I understand, there is a preference for "light skin." There are issues confronting all communities that I guess, Americans as a whole have to address. As an Indian, I know perfectly well there are any number of social problems confronting us in India. Have I denied it? Look again at my posts. What is your point?

One point I did not make (I assumed it was understood- my bad). I am an American. I am of Afro descent. The two are mutually exclusive. One defines the 'culture' that is my heritage/the culture that I ascribe to. The other statement for the purpose of this discussion; my race. When I state the word Assimilation I do not mean Miscegenationjust so you understand me.

As an Indian I'm sure the preference for light skin is something you just can't fathom. Yes, all kinds & colors of people look down on people of Afro descent. Again, as an Indian- I'm sure that's is just something you would have to try and imagine but bless you for engaging in the dialogue and making the attempt.

Back in January, writing from Nairobi, I blogged about Kenya's liberal magazine Awaaz, which concentrates on the Indian diaspora in East Africa.

The editor, Zahid Rajan, has issued this statement about the recent violence in Uganda:

Awaaz notes with concern the recent re-emergence of racial conflict in Uganda. It is indeed sad that the South Asian community in Uganda as a whole has paid the price for the recklessness of a few. South Asian leaders have once again collaborated with the ruling class; this time to rape the country of its natural resource and continue the exploitation of the Ugandan people. It is the story of the South Asians in East Africa since the advent of independence in the territories. These business tycoons are single mindedly determined to make money in collaboration with the ruling elites. In doing so they portray the entire South Asian community as the ‘visible enemy’; and thus undermine the positive roles that ordinary South Asians have played, and are playing, in the colonial and independent histories of the East African countries. It is indeed disappointing that President Museveni considers environmental conservation a ‘luxury’! We in Kenya are grappling with trying to replace our lost environmental resources and are already suffering from the consequences. Surely Uganda’s South Asian industrialists should understand this global concern. Their complete inability in Uganda to learn from history and chart a new path of national inclusion and reconciliation, instead of exacerbating the myth of exploitation, is shocking, to say the least. It is reckless and irresponsible for the Mehta Group to attempt to plunder the resources of Uganda in complete violation of the wishes of the Ugandan people and of international environmental standards. We do applaud the sentiments of the general Ugandan South Asian community in condemning the move by the Mehta group. They need to link up with the rest of the Ugandan community and struggle for a just, democratic and environmentally secure country. Awaaz once again reiterates that it stands for:

The need for the South Asian communities in East Africa to get involved politically and cast their lot with the masses of the 3 countries. As Awaaz has shown, history is replete with examples of individuals who have participated in the political processes in the region. Some notable individuals are:

Uganda: Sugra Visram – MP 1963 - 1966

Kenya: Pio Gama Pinto – Socialist, freedom fighter. Makhan Singh - founder of the Trade Union Movement. Manilal Desai – party organizer & freedom fighter

Tanzania: Sophia Mustafa – MP 1958 - 1965. Amir Jamal – Minister of Finance

The community has to get involved in the day to day political processes be it at Parliamentary or Civic levels. We in Kenya have once again the opportunity of getting representation in the body politic during the upcoming 2007 election.

Finally we stand in solidarity with the Ugandan people and the Ugandan South Asian community as they struggle against dictatorship and political repression. We have to stand up and be counted - history will judge us accordingly!

"The Asian Question again: A reflection" from Mahmood Mamdani (Herbert Lehman Professor of Government and a professor of anthropology at Columbia University), published in Uganda's Sunday Vision:

Even before the scandal around Mabira came to light, signs of rising tension were evident on the social and political landscape of Uganda. Mabira turned into a major scandal because it symbolised a collusion between an increasingly unaccountable President and an arrogant tycoon from a racialised minority. The President had taken to treating the country as his private preserve; the grant of Mabira was simply the latest in a series of grants (of a school in one case or an information ministry facility in another) by the president, always claiming that his personal will represented the interests of ‘development’. The tycoon too claimed to be doing the country a favour — once again, ‘development’ — rather than lining his own pockets. Mabira outraged just about everyone, from the Kabaka to the mukopi, the mwami to the muyaye.

[snip]

So what is this Asian Question? It is a different question for dif