“Wahindi Rudi India”


The word ‘wahindi’ is Kiswahili for people of Hindi background – used in general to describe the Asian community even if they were from other parts of the Indian Sub-Continent such as Pakistan!

In the early sixties, soon after the East African countries became independent from British rule, the Africans started to become hostile towards the Asians. Their resentment showed in simple things like haggling at the fruit and vegetable markets where everyone tried to get the best deal for themselves.

‘Wahindi Rudi India’ simply means ‘Indian, go back to India’. The first time I heard this was when Asian shoppers were haggling at the market. The process had started with goodwill on both sides. The African trader knew what he wanted from the deal but the Asian shopper was also persistent in trying to drive a hard bargain. The bargaining process was interrupted by the African’s taunt,’ Wahindi Rudi India’. The Asian shopper felt disgusted and left the scene and the African did not try to call her back. Resentment against the Asians had been growing but its open display at the market was a shock for me.

Did Asian community leaders ever try to deal with this type of resentment? Did they try to advise their communities on how to modify their dealings with the Africans after independence? What approaches did they use?