Thoughts from the Equator
There probably never has been so much concern about developing countries, and Africa in particular. Many of us try to do our bit by giving to charities, buying fairtrade products or, as in my case, trying to do political development and democracy building work during Parliamentary breaks.
A year ago I was in Uganda, helping in the presidential election campaign. I was assisting a very brave man, Kizza Besigye, who whilst campaigning had to deal with trumped up rape charges. It was extraordinary to travel with him in this beautiful country, on the roughest of roads in pretty basic circumstances. However the warmth of the reception at the political rallies was amazing: they seemed positively to enjoy a few words from a foreign politician, and they certainly understood English very well.
At the end of a pretty gruelling and at times uncomfortable week, the owner of our hotel in Kampala asked us to go boating on Lake Victoria. One of the guests was Charles Steel, producer of the film The Last King of Scotland, about Idi Amin. The boat owner was a very successful Ugandan Asian businessman, who had returned after the expulsion of this community, and prospered. Charles told us about the film, so seeing it yesterday was particularly of interest – it is, by the way, tremendous cinema.
When the Uganda Asians were expelled I remember marching in to see my boss – it was my first job – and telling him that we really needed to employ at least one of the new arrivals. We did so, and it worked out very well indeed for all concerned.
Uganda has come a long way since then, but most of the Asian community have stayed here. Out of the horrors of Idi Amin’s rule, we acquired one of the most successful and dynamic immigrant groups who have ever settled here. What was Uganda’s loss has been our gain.