Mariam Habib is originally from Tanzania, where she worked as a freelance writer. She immigrated to Canada in the 1970s during the period of tension in East Africa, and during the period of nationalization. The government of Tanzania had begun transferring businesses from private ownership to government ownership, which affected many business owners of South Asian descent, and including her family\u2019s printing press.<\/p>\n
While she was not personally affected by the expulsion from Uganda, Mrs. Habib was working as an employment counsellor in Vancouver in the late 1970s after the Ugandan Asian refugees arrived. She recounts her experiences with assisting new immigrants in finding jobs and settling in to their new lives in Canada. She also discusses the power of storytelling as a means for immigrant women to find empowerment and articulate life skills.<\/p>\n
This interview was conducted in Burnaby, British Columbia by Yasmin B. Jamal.<\/p>\n