South Asian women began settling in the East African countries of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania in the late 19th century. They joined their husbands and other male relatives who first came as indentured laborers recruited by the British Crown and later transitioned into a subculture of traders. As traders, South Asians took near complete control of the East African economy which attracted the antagonism of colonial settlers and African aspirations. During the colonial period, due to the increasing wealth and westernization of South Asians in East Africa, the women in the diaspora began exiting the private domain and entering the public sphere. African antagonism after independence led to the exodus of the diaspora in the 1970s. In the 1990s, East African governments, caving into international pressure, allowed for the return of members of the diaspora promising an improved situation. However, South Asian returnees including women entrepreneurs and professionals witnessed and still continue to experience discrimination. Such a situation is partly the result of short-sighted policies stipulated by international aid agencies that allowed for the return of the diaspora and should not solely be attributed to the historical relationship between members of the diaspora and the greater African population.