In 1972 President Idi Amin ordered the Asian community to leave Uganda. Over 60,000 were forced to flee and many came to the UK. 2022 marked the 50th anniversary and Leicester’s Ugandan Asian community wanted to commemorate their expulsion and resettlement. They also wanted to celebrate achievements since and highlight the plight of current refugees.

Working with Indian community organisation Navrang Arts and host museums in Leicester and Loughborough, we designed and created temporary exhibitions to tell their dramatic story. Each theme is supported by personal artefacts, whilst the graphic colours reflect Uganda and Leicester, supported by archive film footage and gallery-wide soundscapes.

Oral histories, collected and edited by volunteers, are available on tablets and via QR codes opening YouTube sound files. The Reflection Zone includes simple, low-cost interactives that were extremely well used. The feedback presented is truly inspiring to read. Both exhibitions hosted varied community activities and were given extensions due to their popularity.