Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Where is Home? Leicester exhibition explores answers

Curator explains the journey of south Asians who migrated to Britain

Where is Home? Leicester exhibition explores answers

ALNOOR MITHA had an idyllic childhood, spending his days climbing hills, swimming in lakes and listening to the sounds of lions roaring in his home

town of Ngora in Uganda.


Then, when he was nine, it was all snatched away in a heartbeat. He and his family were among the 50,000 Asians expelled from Uganda, in 1972, under the dictatorship of Idi Amin.

Mitha’s new exhibition, Where is Home? tells the story of those who migrated to the UK from Uganda and of other south Asians who came to Britain after Partition.

“I vividly remember my amazing childhood growing up in Uganda,” Mitha, a senior research fellow at Manchester School of Art, Manchester Metropolitan University, told Eastern Eye.

“I climbed these incredible hills. Lake Kyoga was not far from our house, so we could hear all the animals. We had mangoes dropping from trees and I would go with buckets to pick them up. In some ways, it was a Mowgli-like childhood.”

LEAD Alnoor Mitha 20220704 122550 Mitha’s new exhibition tells the story of south Asian migrations to the UK

When the expulsion order came, not only were Mitha and his family forced to leave their homeland, they also ended up being separated – with some relatives settling in Somerset while others travelled to Naples, Italy.

“There was a passport issue with my dad, my eldest and younger sisters, so they had to go to Naples. Me and my older sisters and brothers came to the UK. We had another brother who had won a scholarship and was already in Manchester studying. But we couldn’t meet him straight away and had to stay at a camp in Somerset for about a month.”

LEAD Alnoor Mitha INSET 6 A refugee special train at Ambala Station during partition of India An image of refugees at Ambala station in north India during Partition

Mitha described the camp as being like a dormitory, housing Ugandan immigrants. Eventually the family would reunite in the UK after the passport issues were sorted out.

He said his first memory of arriving in the country was “feeling my nose being really cold. “I hadn’t experienced anything like this before, coming from a hot country,” he explained.

LEAD Alnoor Mitha INSET 2 Prayer beads 20220704 122754 Copy Prayer beads

Where is Home? explores the origins of south Asian migration to the UK, marking the 75th anniversary of India’s Partition in 1947, and the 50th anniversary of the expulsion from Uganda.

The exhibition features a newly commissioned film that examines the experience of south Asian communities who settled in the UK, and how they have shaped the country.

There are contributions from notable artists and curators, including Mitha, his daughter Amani Mitha, Jai Chuhan, Jasmir Creed, Saima Rasheed and John Lyons, all of whom explore the themes of migration and belonging in their work.

Personal objects donated to the project feature in the exhibition, including a passport, saris, suitcases, a prayer mat and rosary beads. Each item was chosen to be something instantly recognisable to a south Asian visitor.

“The film is an artistic process, a kind of lived experience asking artists about their personal migration journey,” said Mithal, who donated the passport he carried with him from Uganda to the UK.

LEAD Alnoor Mitha INSET 5 Ghuwail Village Family Tree Amal Abdul Rahim A Ghuwail Village FamilyTree


“Usually what happens with projects like this is that you have lots of historical data and information about what’s happened. But what I wanted to do was create a narrative that really responds to what contemporary artists are doing, and how they reflect on migration through their own backgrounds, their own stories, their own specific points of view.

“For example, John Lyons is a painter and a poet from Trinidad who lives in Cambridge. His dialogue is incredibly poignant. He came here and faced racism – he was challenged about where he came from, and it made him realise that he didn’t have a British passport. He had a colonial passport – I don’t know what that looked like. He then got naturalised and was given a blue passport.

“These stories are moments in time that were frozen. But now we get to see and hear the journey of these individuals.

“It connects with the people here in the UK, because let’s not forget what’s happening around the corner, with the Ukraine war and the refugee crisis. So it’s very much hits the senses, if you like.”

LEAD ALnoor Mitha INSET 3 Passport 20220704 122738 A passport

Local community groups are also contributors to the project, with first- and second-generation Asians discussing what ‘home’ means to them, in the context of post-imperial Britain.

Mitha said: “Where is home? For many Asian communities, this is a simple question with a complicated answer. I was born in Uganda, but have made my home here in the UK; my children were born here and have always lived here, but still face racism from those who do not see them as British.

“Through this exhibition we examine the idea of home, asking what it really means. We bring in the complex history of Britain and the south Asian diaspora, and hear the voices of artists and everyday south Asian people.”

LEAD Alnoor Mitha INSET 1 Curator Alnoor Mitha

For the 59-year-old, the UK is home. But part of Mitha still belongs in Uganda, as he revealed he left someone behind there all those years ago.

“Sadly, my mum passed away when I was young. She was buried in Uganda,” he said. “I went back home to Ngora five years ago. And I went the graveyard to trace my mum’s grave.

“Unfortunately, the gravestone was not there. But there were other gravestones and I offered prayers there.

“For me, that was a cleansing experience, going there to remember my mum, to kind of give my blessing. It was just a very beautiful experience.”

Where is Home? is at the Leicester Museum and Art Gallery, with further presentations at Wolverhampton Art Gallery in association with Black Country Touring, mac Birmingham, Whitworth Gallery (Manchester) and the Migration Museum (London). The Birmingham and Wolverhampton exhibitions are part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival.

Where is Home? also includes additional events, such as live performances from

Sampad Arts in Birmingham, a Q&A with author Neema Shah in Wolverhampton and a day of festivities in London.

More For You

Police officers

Police officers stand guard between an anti fascist group and Tommy Robinson supporters during an anti-immigration rally organised by British anti-immigration activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, in London, Britain, September 13, 2025.

REUTERS/Jaimi Joy

UK defends France migrant returns deal after court blocks first removal

THE British government has defended its new migrant returns deal with France after a High Court ruling temporarily blocked the deportation of an Eritrean asylum seeker, marking an early legal setback to the scheme.

The 25-year-old man, who arrived in Britain on a small boat from France on August 12, was due to be placed on an Air France flight from Heathrow to Paris on Wednesday (17) morning. But on Tuesday (16), Judge Clive Sheldon granted an interim injunction, saying there was a “serious issue to be tried” over his claim to be a victim of trafficking.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian surgeon sentenced to six years for sexual assault

Dr Amal Bose. (Photo: Lancashire Police)

Asian surgeon sentenced to six years for sexual assault

AN ASIAN senior heart surgeon, who abused his position to sexually assault female members of staff, has been jailed for six years.

Dr Amal Bose, from Lancaster, was convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault against five colleagues at Blackpool Victoria Hospital between 2017 and 2022. He was cleared of two other charges.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi & Trump

Donald Trump and Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House on February 13, 2025.

Reuters

Trump greets Modi on 75th birthday, trade talks continue in Delhi

Highlights:

  • Both leaders reaffirm commitment to India-US partnership
  • Trade talks resume in New Delhi amid tariff tensions
  • India defends purchase of discounted Russian oil

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Tuesday called Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and greeted him ahead of his 75th birthday. The phone call sparked hopes of a reset in India-US ties, which had been under strain after Washington doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent.

Keep ReadingShow less
11th UK Gatka Championship

All winners received medals and trophies

UK Parliament

11th UK Gatka Championship ends with Welsh debut and £1,000 support for Gatka Akharas

Highlights:

  • The 11th UK National Gatka Championship was hosted near Cardiff, marking the first time in Wales.
  • Winners included Roop Kaur (girls), Navjot Singh (boys), and Gurdeep Singh (men’s).
  • Gatka Federation UK awarded £1,000 to each participating Akhara to support martial arts promotion.
  • Chief guests included MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation.

Gatka Championship marks Welsh debut

The 11th UK National Gatka Championship concluded on a high note near Cardiff, Wales, showcasing the traditional Sikh martial art with flair. Seven leading Gatka Akharas participated, thrilling spectators with their lightning-fast strikes, precision moves and elegant techniques.

Inauguration by global leaders

The tournament was inaugurated by Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation (WGF) and the National Gatka Association of India (NGAI). He was joined by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP, President of Gatka Federation UK, alongside other dignitaries including Jagbir Singh Jagga Chakar, President of Wales Kabaddi Club, and community leaders from the Haveli Hotel Pontyclun.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vantara

The site, located in Gujarat, houses hundreds of elephants, as well as 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards, and 900 crocodiles. (Photo: Instagram/Vantara)

India court probe clears Ambani family’s animal centre

AN INDIAN Supreme Court-ordered investigation has cleared a large private animal facility run by the son of Asia’s richest man, rejecting allegations of wildlife violations.

Vantara, described as the “world’s biggest wild animal rescue centre,” is operated by Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Keep ReadingShow less