Umeeda Switlo and Lella Umedaly

Umeeda Switlo (US): When we were growing up we had— communities were divided in that, white people went to white schools, black kids went to black schools, and Ismaili kids and Indian kids went to the Ismaili community school. And there was a large Ismaili community in Uganda, very prosperous and educated. And we had a wonderful community life in many ways. Lots of religious events, the Aga Khan would come and visit. It was very exciting. A beautiful mosque with lovely stairs going up you know, up to the prayer level. And, a very open community. We travelled around a lot in Uganda.

Lella Umedaly (LU): Yes.

US: We used to go camping to safari lodges, to really cool lake called Lake Nabugabo. We, we had one of our favourite places to go, right mom?

LU: Yes, we really enjoyed, there would be monkeys and they would steal our, the bananas and things like that. And we just loved it there.

US: Dugout canoes with hippos in the lake and water skiing and, it was just, we did a lot of adventurous things and um, I think we really enjoyed our life in Uganda.

Interviewer: Why did you leave by yourself instead of leaving with your family?

Umeeda Switlo: This was a time where the army was raping girls, this, this CIA agent had managed to get my sister and myself visas to the United States to go to school in. I was going to go to Medford, Oregon and she went to West Virginia. So they wanted the girls out of the country immediately. So Idi Amin had given us ninety days to leave and we were within the first two weeks of, of those ninety days to leave.

Lella Umedaly: When Idi Amin announced on the, on the TV that all the Asians have to leave, then he took it back and he said, “Only the ones who have got the citizenship can stay.” Well, I had the citizenship too, all our family did. All of us. Then I said, “No, I can’t leave my daughters like this.” Because there was a lot of raping and things going on. And, then, Mus—instead I stayed over and we packed them off, one by one. And through the American friend we had, and he made all the arrangements for us.

Lella Umedaly: They so resp—full of respect for everybody that, I, I think even you’ll, any other nationality want to see the mosque. They can’t see the mosque during when we are praying. But they can come, there’s a special times for them to visit.

Umeeda Switlo: The Ismaili community in Canada, has a, in British Columbia has seventeen mosques. And, they’re called jama’at khanas. They have a very interesting volunteer service, SEVA. Volunteer to community, and are very engaged in the, in the Canadian community. Have a wonderful Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa, a new museum in Toronto. They’re very educated and an engaged community.

The Aga Khan is a wonderful spiritual leader and gives us fabulous advice. Always about education, always about pluralism and integration, and serving your community. These are the, the fundamentals of our faith and remain with us, and of course, saying your prayers, regularly. And, yeah, so we go to mosque here in Canada.

So, I went to Kenya, and I saw my family, I have some family in Kenya. And got on the plane to go to Uganda. My daughter was sitting next to me, she was in her early twenties at this time. And she noticed how anxious I was. I’m usually a very calm person, but I was pretty anxious. And the plane arrived. And we got off the plane and they were, signs everywhere saying we couldn’t take pictures. But my daughter, took the picture of me landing and I put my foot down on the ground in uh, at the airport and all those times, that day that I described, of leaving came back to me. A very sad, angry girl got off that plane. And I didn’t know what to do with my anger.

So, we went to the immigration officer, and they asked me for my visa, I mean, to pay for my, visa. And it was, they said it was going to be fifty dollars. And all of a sudden, I said, “Yeah, here’s my Canadian passport, but you know I’m a Uganda citizen. I, you took my home, my life, my dogs, who I loved so much away from me. And now I have to pay, I have to pay to come back to do humanitarian work in my own country.” And she said, “Can I see your passport? Ugandan passport?” I said, “No, it’s in my pocket, but I’m not showing it to you. Because if I give it to you, you may take it and I’ll never see it again.” And it’s my only memory of my time here.

And the lady said, most amazing thing. I wonder whether she had experienced this before. But she said, “Madam, Uganda has changed. We’re very sorry. Welcome home.” I was home.