We Are All Birds of Uganda

Reviews

Alice Ridge

Even addressing the rise of open and accepted racism in society today. The racial tensions of Uganda and expulsion of Asian minorities in the seventies is something I was vaguely aware of but actually knew very little about.

Emma's Biblio Treasures

Sameer is welcomed in the mosque in Uganda and his ultimate full embrace of Islam has to be partly thanks to that experience. Hasan’s chapters are written as letters in the 60s to his deceased wife, who was the love of his life. The story moves between Sameer’s story in the present day and that of his grandfather, Hasan, who tells his story through a series of letters written to his late wife. A stunning debut novel from Hafsa Zayyan following the story of a multigenerational family and their south Asian Ugandan migrant experience.

I also loved how religion was weaved through the story and how it brought different people together. As the only person he could really talk to, Hasan opens up in the pages and exposes his mind, his personal identity crisis when he is stripped of his citizenship, and his experiences under the leadership of Idi Amin in Uganda. The writing is beautiful and evokes so much emotion in an already passionate story. "In a way, I suppose, we are all birds of Uganda.

But what is at the heart of this story is the search for one's identity; to learn who you are in your heart and soul. I highlighted so many passages that made me stop to absorb the words. The author explores topics such as race, gender, privilege and oppression. Sameer’s career decisions are also entwined with a journey to find his identity as a child of a family who have faced twice migration and constant struggles trying to find their “place” in the world.

Richly drawn, evocative, powerful and affecting, this is a wonderful debut from an author who is one to watch. We learn about the threats and ultimate expulsion faced by Asians in a post-independence Uganda. This is a long review and if you’re not here for the ride let me just tell you this is an excellent 5 ⭐️ read!

Thanks to Merky Books Penguin UK Books the author for a copy in exchange for an honest review! I was shocked and appalled as Hasan writes what is happening in his adopted home; my heart breaking for him as he is forced to leave all he loved and in fear for his life. "We Are All Birds of Uganda is a beautifully told story that follows Sameer, a twenty-something British lawyer whose family were amongst those expelled from Uganda under the rule of Idi Amin. I took no pleasure in his journey from wealthy, privileged Asian who looks down on the black Ugandans to an impoverished immigrant in the UK who is treated with the disdain he himself reserved for others.