Today, we have invited Salim Rahemtulla, born in Kampala, Uganda, but fortunately or unfortunately missed out on the actual turmoil experiences of the 1972 Uganda expulsion as he was already studying in England at that time! He shares his family’s stories of fleeing Uganda, on the very last day, as his Dad was in denial & strongly believed that he should be able to stay in Uganda, as he held a Ugandan citizenship! He describes his Dad’s anger at the airport & his action of flushing the Uganda passport down the toilet! Living in England during that time, Salim became the strategic point of contact for his family as that was the most reliable and stable address where all his siblings could connect to update on their whereabouts. He relays a number of incidents during his podcast, some humorous, when the Canadian immigration officials tried to send him back to England even after he had all the documentation from the British officials. He sheds some annoyance and anger as he relays his early experiences with racism and discrimination when he applied for his first job in Canada.
A hotelier, a family man and a computer science graduate, Salim surprises his family and friends as he turns over to creative writing based on his daughter’s constant prodding and takes on the title of a ‘playwright’. He has just finished the script on his first play, 90 Days, which is about the traumatic 90-day period in which all non-indigenous countrymen of Uganda were expelled by Dictator Idi Amin. It draws on Salim’s memories of growing up in Uganda in a modest family of nine siblings who became separated after the expulsion. Western Gold Theatre will be staging the play at the Vancouver PAL Studio starting on September 9th until September 25th. More information can be obtained from the website: www.westerngoldtheatre.org
He is currently writing short stories and his memoirs that he hopes to publish next year. Salim has visited his birth country, Uganda a couple of times, once with his family too. It brought him all the beautiful memories of growing up there!
He lives in Vancouver with his wife and four children.
Website: WordPress.kpu.ca/ugandanasianrefugees
Email: Yasmin.jamal(at)kpu.ca
