The return of Ugandan Asians

Oh, this is a fascinating update.  From Ugandan Asians dominate economy after exile by Farhana Dawood.

I was in England in 1972 and the immediate aftermath of Idi Amin's expulsion of Asian Indians from Uganda.  Many came to England and became notable for their success in taking over large retail segments, especially post offices and newsagents.  There was both admiration of and concern about the Indian success.

As Thomas Sowell has written about, many African economies were and still are dominated by minority traders.  Igbo and Lebanese in West Africa, Asian Indians in East and South Africa.  As always, whenever you have a trading group culturally, religiously, or ethnically different from a countries dominant population, there are conditions for strife and striking differences in impact.

As illustrated by the figures in this article.

Ugandan-Asian tax revenue contributions 

 

1972 - 90% of total receipts

1985 - 30%

2016 - 65%

Source: Indian Association of Uganda

That bookends the period of expulsion, absence, and return.  

As always, the article tends to frame this in racial terms, though it seems marvelously clear that the real challenge is the disparate performance due to class and culture rather than race per se.  Certainly there appearance of race as a factor, but it is not.  In West Africa, the Igbo of eastern Nigerian have a distinct culture from their neighbors which in part fuels their success as regional traders.  And which also fuels community strife due to their apparent success in comparison to other groups.  Despite all being black Africans in Africa.

Excellent article.  Success is often about not letting bad behaviors or knee-jerk reactions get in the way of positive outcomes.