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Rishi Sunak’s rise is testament to the tenacity of the ‘twice migrants’

Rishi Sunak, Suella Braverman, Priti Patel and Shailesh Vara are all ‘twice migrants’ - their grandparents and parents moved from South Asia to East Africa and finally the UK.

August 07, 2022 / 16:43 IST
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Rishi Sunak's grandparents and parents moved from Tanzania and Kenya to the UK. (Image: Twitter/@RishiSunak)
Rishi Sunak's grandparents and parents moved from Tanzania and Kenya to the UK. (Image: Twitter/@RishiSunak)

In the 1960s and '70s, the United Kingdom received a wave of Indian-origin migrants from African countries who came to be described as ‘twice migrants’.

These were the East African Asians whose forefathers had come from South Asia to British colonies like Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia to work as indentured labourers, traders, or civil servants.

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Some of the most prominent and successful Indian-origin politicians in the UK, including Rishi Sunak, belong to the ‘twice migrants’ families.

As British colonies in Africa gained independence, resentment grew among the native population against the South Asians (overwhelmingly Punjabis and Gujaratis) who had a large share in trade and employment. The ‘Africanization’ drive took different forms in different countries – restricting access to state resources, blatant discrimination, and deportations at short notice – making it imperative for them to leave. Many returned to India, but there was a substantial section which saw the UK as the better option for them for two reasons: they held British citizenship, and they had little or no contact with the land of their forefathers.