Surrey Art Gallery hosts artist talk on the expulsion of Asians from Uganda
The talk will cover the history of the Ugandan Asian exodus and immigrant experiences in Canada
Taslim Samji (above) is the curator of Kampala to Canada. (Submitted)
The expulsion of Asians from Uganda and its impact on Ugandan Canadian migrants will be the focus of a discussion at the Surrey Art Gallery tomorrow.
Part of the gallery’s monthly “Thursday Artist Talk” series, “Journeys through Storytelling” will feature artist Taslim Samji speaking on her experience curating exhibits and highlighting the history of the Ugandan Asian exodus.
Following the talk, artist Mehb Rahmetulla and Kwantlen Polytechnic University criminology instructor Galib Bhayani, who were both featured in the gallery’s Kampala to Canada exhibit that Samji curated, will join her and moderator Sameena Siddiqui for a panel discussion.
The exhibit, displayed earlier this year at the gallery, featured storyboards of 12 Ugandan Canadians and their journeys as immigrants, along with works of other artists that showcased the issues of the immigration experience, such as loneliness, mental health, and grief, Samji says.
“We’re going to talk about the impact of their experiences in the exhibition, as well as their lived immigration experiences and take the conversation to larger themes that are so relevant today,” Samji says.
The Asian Ugandan exodus took place in 1972, where then-president and dictator Idi Amin ordered more than 80,000 Ugandan Asians to leave Uganda within 90 days. This was followed by many countries refusing to welcome Ugandan Asians.
In response to the situation, Canada provided more than 7,000 Ugandan Asians with refuge.
Kampala to Canada was brought up to Samji by the BC Ugandan Asian Resettlement Committee to commemorate 50 years of Ugandan Asian resettlement in Canada, she says.
“Immigrants of different backgrounds can relate to the stories [and] lived experiences of Ugandan Asian immigrants, and having them join the exhibition made [it] more relatable [and] accessible to the larger public,” Samji says.
“This is an example of a community who came penniless, who came as refugees, and they have made a huge impact to Canadian society, economically, socially, culturally, [and] financially.”
The topic of refugees and immigrants remains important today, Samji says, adding that while there is public concern over refugees coming to Canada, there is also a need to express that they are assets and huge contributors to Canadian society.
She hopes the discussion panel will inspire people to think differently, show more empathy and compassion, and spark conversations beyond the event.
“We don’t always have an opportunity to share the hardships, the difficulties of immigration, [and] the trauma related to immigration,” she says.
“It’s so important if we want to even have conversations about decolonization, maybe we need to first start on educating what colonization means and how it’s impacted our societies and different groups.”
The event is free and takes place from 7:30 to 9:00 pm tomorrow.
For more information about the artist talk and exhibit, visit the Surrey Art Gallery’s website.
Editor’s note: This story previously stated that Galib Bhayani used to worked at KPU. The story has been updated for accuracy.
