Article April 21, 2003 Issue

Learning to love Grubs

By Karim Ajania

In the early 1970s, there was a large exodus of Indians from East Africa. These Indians, many of whom had lived in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania for several generations, were fleeing their African homelands, many as refugees. They were driven out by the actions of a brutal dictator, President Idi Amin of Uganda.

Idi Amin was targeting Indians living in Uganda, in the same way that Hitler had targeted Jews in Germany. Hideous crimes were being inflicted on Indians in Uganda. For this reason, many Indians fled Uganda and sought refuge in Great Britain. As well, Indians in Kenya and Tanzania, fearing that their governments might also adopt a policy similar to Idi Amin's against Indians, also fled their countries.

I was a teenager at the time. Being of Indian descent, my family and I left Kenya to relocate in London, England. I resumed my schooling there and gradually started to make new friends. My best friend was Martin. He was also my neighbor, which meant that we walked together to and from school almost every day.