By -Ssalongo Jaffar Amin
1975:
On September 11, 1975, dad “audienced” with the Pope in Rome. Many
people mocked his visit to the Pope that year but he wanted to
demonstrate his support for Christians.
Dad was very supportive
of Christians and he had very close family members, friends and
associates who were very committed Christians. As I shared previously,
in 1972, dad in his usual bombastic utterances wanted two of his sons to
become Roman Catholic Priests and they were already in Roman Catholic
Seminary. If he hated and persecuted Christians as it has been falsely
alleged, he would never have sent us to Christian Mission Schools.
Nevertheless, an Independent “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” is
the place to arrive at the actual truth about persistent claims that dad
persecuted Christians in Uganda. It is also the place to arrive at the
actual truth about the following assertion by an observer who obviously
views dad as a hero in the debate raging on about whether he was a hero
or villain to the core:
“Idi Amin’s detractors and “saboteurs”
lied about him actively persecuting Christians in Uganda! It was the
same relentless Propaganda that included so-called “facts” “crafted” to
defame him and bring down his government!”
In November 1975 dad
travelled to New York to address the United Nations as Chairman of the
OAU (Organization of African Unity) that year.
In a “flamboyant
defiance and audacity” at the Airport in New York, dad’s favourite Dance
Troupe “The Heart Beat of Afrika” danced for him! He had sent the Dance
Troupe ahead of him so that they could dance for him, entertain and
welcome him on American soil at the Airport, while “flaunting” the
beauty and talent of Africa. This “flamboyant defiance and audacity” by
dad on American soil caused a lot of laughter, even though some people
were annoyed by it.
Dad said it was his way of poking fun at the
United States of America for the evils and “sins” of the African Slave
Trade. He said he wanted to remind Americans that “Africans” are the
brightest and most talented human beings on earth and they made and
built the United States of America. So Americans better treat Black
Americans better than they have been doing for centuries.
By the
time dad travelled to New York to address the United Nations in 1975,
the once strong relationship he had with Israel had become irreparable.
It had disintegrated beyond recognition.
As Chairman of the OAU
(Organization of African Unity) in 1975, dad addressed the United
Nations in Luganda, one of many Ugandan languages he was very articulate
and very eloquent in. On that occasion, he chose to defy United Nations
rules respecting languages accepted as Official Languages at the United
Nations and spoke in Luganda.
During dad’s speech at the United
Nations in New York, he was very instrumental in passing UN Resolution
3379, equating Zionism with Racism and Apartheid.
The arising
Resolution stood the Test of Time from 1975 to 1991 when George Bush
Senior sought an Alliance to fight against Saddam Hussein. At the time
of the passing of UN Resolution 3379, Africans came together as one to
protect their “wayward” Chairman - dad.
Dad caused a murmur at
the United Nations when he spoke in Luganda, a language he mastered
while growing up among the Baganda people of Uganda. When he defiantly
forced the Luganda language on the United Nations in New York in 1975
and gave an address in Luganda, he was very clear in articulating his
points.
As Chairman of the Organization of African Unity that
year, dad felt it necessary to clearly articulate his position at the
United Nations in relation to UN Resolution 3379, without the
constraints of language. He was always aware of his constituency.
He had already set up the International External Service of the Uganda
Broadcasting Corporation and knew that the people that mattered were
listening. Dad was speaking directly to his constituency and Luganda was
actually the one language he spoke fluently. Even the Baganda were
stupefied and elated to hear him speak their language on the world
stage, for Swahili was the preeminent language - actually the only
language with a translatable service at the United Nations.
Dad
could also speak Swahili fluently but he chose to speak in Luganda. Many
Baganda and other Ugandans cheered and laughed about dad’s “audacity”
to force Luganda on the United Nations while other people were very
annoyed by this form of “waywardness”.
Younis Kinene, Uganda’s
Ambassador to the United Nations at the time had to be the “Impromptu
Translator” for Luganda back to English. I can only imagine what must
have gone through Younis Kinene’s head as his “wayward” Head of State
put him in the awkward position of “Impromptu Translator”, with no
warning whatsoever.
Dad was making a statement. He understood the
significance of the occasion and he did not wish to be compromised. He
understood that he represented Africa at that moment as the Chairman of
the OAU and he was aware of the significance of the occasion and
necessity for eloquent articulation.
Dad’s humble upbringing and
crowd pleasing style resonated with the teeming masses. This style
stemmed from his gift of speech. He had the astonishing ability to lead a
Nation due to his extraordinary fluency in at least a dozen Indigenous
African languages. His memory for words, for people and places never
ceased to amaze his former Kings African Rifles Commanding Officer Major
Iain Grahame. He spoke directly to the people in a language they
understood. The essence of good communication in today’s ICT generation
is the ability to get your message across. This factor is quite often
ignored by his detractors, but it is the most indelible testament as to
why he continues to resonate with the majority of the now revived
underclass (“Common Man”) under this structurally adjusted society in
the 21st century.
I would venture to say that dad did very well
in attempting to communicate in English. I doubt that many people would
perform so well if they were “dumped” in a hostile environment and
expected to pick up and communicate in a language they had no interest
in learning or mastering. I know they would sound just as “nonsensical”
to Native Speakers. However, the irony of dad’s so-called “nonsensical”
statements is that they came to pass with the appointments of Colin
Powell and Condoleezza Rice as United States Secretaries of State and
the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States of
America.
I am particularly referring to “audacious” statements
dad made during the making of the 1974 French Documentary titled
“General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait.” That time, dad had boldly
stated that:
“The Black people of America must be the President of the United States of America”.
“They must be the Secretary of State.”
At the United Nations in 1975, dad articulated that Zionism was equal
to Racism, in a 10minute speech following a 90minute speech by Younis
Kinene, Uganda’s Ambassador to the United Nations at the time.
Zacharia Fataki from Gulumbi, a descendant of the notorious Chief of
Gulumbi was dad’s Bodyguard in 1975. He regularly recounted the story of
a tussle with an assassin, who was armed and in a “no arms area”. It
was suspected that the assassin was attempting to assassinate dad while
on the trip to New York.
Idi Osman of the Lurunu Kakwa clan who
was Uganda’s Ambassador to the United States of America at the time can
also provide detailed accounts.
Younis Kinene can provide further
key accounts about the whole event including dad’s visit to New York,
his speech to the United Nations and how Africans came together as one
to protect their “wayward” Chairman - dad.
It was a strange
solidarity indeed in light of the strong protest from the American
Ambassador who was determined to put dad in his place so to speak and in
a bad light. Dad believed that the Ambassador was very upset because he
managed to convince all the African States, the Soviet Bloc and South
America to vote for UN Resolution 3379.
There was a lot of support
for UN Resolution 3379, preparation for which began long before the
Organization of African Unity (OAU) Summit in Uganda. There were a lot
of determined stakeholders involved in its passing.
By the time
the OAU Summit in Uganda came around, dad had been promoted to Field
Marshall - one of the highest positions in the Military. In 1971, he had
been denied the position of OAU Chairman because of the Military Coup
against Apollo Milton Obote. However, by 1975, he had built enough clout
to be recognized as a formidable force in the passing of UN Resolution
3379.
The Prime Minister of Great Britain at the time declared
during a Commonwealth Conference in Kingston, Jamaica that Uganda could
not hold the OAU Summit that year. However, what he did not realize was
that the Arab Islamic Countries were determined to pass UN Resolution
3379 and it involved galvanizing the “Third World States” into a Bloc
Vote and putting their money where their mouths were. This was the Era
of the Petrol Dollar and dad had become the de facto Spokesperson. The
Arab countries ensured that he was successful in facilitating the
passing of UN Resolution 3379 because they wanted it passed.
Dad
evidently responded to being the de facto Spokesperson and the African
countries closed ranks to give him the votes he needed along with a
standing ovation in the World Assembly when he successfully passed UN
Resolution 3379, equating Zionism with Racism. However, little did dad
know that this resounding success would precipitate the Hostage Saga
popularly known as the “Entebbe Raid” that would occur in Uganda, nine
months after the passing of UN Resolution 3379.
The Africans came
together as one to protect their “wayward” Chairman and to demonstrate
their support for the Organization of African Unity (OAU). It was a
strange solidarity indeed in light of the strong protest from the
American Ambassador who was determined to put dad in his place and in
bad light so to speak.
Like Kings African Rifles (KAR) of old,
which he truly was, a misplaced sense of grandeur somehow got the better
of dad. For when he invited Bokassa in 1975 to come and lay the
foundation stone for the Old Kampala Mosque and the University of Islam
at Enjeva, he was still leaving the Number One dress bereft of the
grandiose medals he piled up post 1975. He had also become an “outcast”
amongst the “Western World” so his trips were limited to the OIC
(Organisation of Islamic Conference) countries. At every stop, dad was
given medals and honors, which he piled onto his suit jacket. In fact he
would affectionately ask Mrs. Emilio Mondo to do the needful and sew
them on for him. She once told her beloved daughter Esther Mondo:
“You see all those medals? I painstakingly sewed them all - the lot of them”.
