Uganda stories · 1972
To know who you are, you need to know where you came from.
In 1972, every Asian family in Uganda was given 90 days to leave. Pri is filming the stories of the people who made that journey, while they are still here to tell them. One day. No cost to your family.
In Pri's words
Why he is recording these stories, and what happens on the day.
Why we are doing this
Homes. Shops. Whole lives.
Left behind in a matter of weeks. Most families arrived in Britain with almost nothing. Then came the resettlement camps, the first jobs, the first homes, in Leicester, London, Coventry and towns across the country.
Pri's family was one of them. His nana left a successful printing business, helped others reach the UK, and ended up in Austria himself. The family knew he was there. Not whether he was safe. Pri filmed his nana's story before he passed away. Now it is kept, in his own words, for Pri's daughter.
A whole generation who made that journey is still here. Every year, fewer of them are here to tell it.
How the day works
An hour or two, in their own words.
01
Apply
You apply on behalf of a parent or grandparent, from anywhere in the UK. Pri reads every application. Anyone not chosen for the first day stays on the list for the next.
02
The conversation
An hour or two in a quiet room, in North London. No script, and no crew crowding them. In English or Gujarati.
03
What you keep
The full conversation, edited, and every clip we share. Sent to your family through a private download link within four weeks.
What your family keeps
Their story, kept.
There is no cost to your family. What you take home is theirs to keep and pass down.
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The full conversation, edited
Every word of it, filmed and edited with care. Something your family can sit down and watch, and pass down.
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Every clip we share
The moments we share from the conversation come to your family too. Always subtitled.
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The things they carried
A photograph, a passport, a letter from Uganda. Bring them, and we film them beside the story.
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Within four weeks
A private download link, just for your family. Keep it, copy it, share it with the people who should have it.
The conversation
Nobody needs to prepare.
Pri asks, and mostly listens. These are the kinds of things families talk about. Nobody is caught off guard, and they can leave anything out.
- Where they were born, and the family they grew up in.
- The place they called home, and an ordinary day there.
- The day they found out they had to leave.
- What they left behind, and what they still think about.
- The first weeks in Britain.
- How they built a life again.
- What they want their grandchildren to know.
Sharing their story
Shared with care, and always theirs.
Part of why we do this is so these stories reach the people who need to hear them. Grandchildren who grew up with only pieces of it. Families who lived through the same 90 days and never spoke about it.
So we ask one thing in return. That we can share a few moments from the conversation on The Open Journal's channels. Before anyone is filmed, we sit down with you both, go through exactly where clips may appear, and only begin when everyone is comfortable.
It stays their story. If they ever change their mind about a clip, tell us, and it comes down from our channels. And if one day their conversation could sit alongside others in a longer film about 1972, we will ask you both first.
Apply
Let's record your family's story.
Apply on behalf of a parent or grandparent who left Uganda in 1972, or for yourself if you made the journey. It takes a few minutes. Pri reads every one.
One application for each person. If more than one family member would like to take part, send one for each.
Questions.
About the day
Who can apply?
Anyone whose parent or grandparent left Uganda in 1972, or in the years around it. You can apply from anywhere in the UK. Most applications come from a son, daughter or grandchild, on behalf of the person who lived it.
Is there a cost?
No. The day is free. In return, families agree that we can share clips from the conversation on The Open Journal's channels.
Why are you doing this, and why at no cost?
Because it's personal. Both of our founders' families made this journey, and we know how quickly the details fade. It is also how a young studio gets known: by doing work we care about, in the open, and sharing it with your permission. Taking part doesn't commit you to anything. Your family keeps the full conversation either way.
Where and when is the filming?
The first day will be in December, in North London. The exact date and venue are still being confirmed, and we will be in touch with everyone who applies.
What if they would rather speak Gujarati?
Gujarati is welcome. Conversations can be in English or Gujarati, and every clip we share carries English subtitles.
Can a clip be taken down later?
Yes. Ask, and any clip comes down from The Open Journal's channels, at any time. We cannot recall copies other people have already reposted.
What happens to the footage afterwards?
Your family keeps the full conversation and every clip we share. With your consent, the conversations may also become part of a longer documentary made from all of them. That is set out clearly in the consent form before anyone is filmed.