Preparations Underway for Spectacular Uganda 50 Exhibition
Finishing touches are being made to a landmark new exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the arrival of thousands of Ugandan Asians in Leicester.
Published: 4 July 2022
The exhibition, entitled Rebuilding Lives: 50 Years of Ugandan Asians in Leicester will both mark the anniversary of the exodus in 1972 by those fleeing the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, and also celebrate the contribution the Asian community has made to Leicester’s culture and community over the last half a century.
The exhibition includes hundreds of artefacts, personal items and photographs donated to the exhibition from throughout the UK, from people whose families made the traumatic journey from Uganda to start a new life.
It is being organised by Leicester-based arts organisation Navrang, which was also behind the hugely popular exhibition about Ugandan Asians in Leicester a decade ago, as well as the highly-commended ‘The History of Diwali in Leicester’ project in 2015.
The organisation, supported by Loughborough-based museums expert and curator Professor Graham Black, have brought together the exhibition items, along with dozens of recordings of personal accounts by people who fled Uganda, usually at very short notice and in many cases with only a single suitcase of belongings.
Interactive displays will allow visitors to hear the first-hand stories linked to everyday objects which came to symbolise part of their perilous voyage in search of a new life.
Installing the Exhibition
Navrang is being supported by Leicester City Council, with the exhibition being the first to be held at Leicester Museum and Art Gallery’s new display space, created in the former World Arts Gallery on the museum’s first floor.
The group was awarded just over £100,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a series of regional events, including this exhibition. In addition Leicester City Council’s Museums and Galleries Services has contributed £10,000 towards the event.
It will run at Leicester Museum and Art Gallery in New Walk from Friday, July 8 until December 2022, and will be accompanied by a smaller touring exhibition which will enable the story to be told at local community centres and other venues.
Read the full story on Leicester City Council News.