Some see him as someone who immediately resonates with people. Others see him as the truest embodiment of evil. Idi Amin: Famous for the Wrong Reasons is a thoughtful portrait of a multi-faceted monster, unraveling the controversial Ugandan leader with insights from those who knew him best.
When Amin took power in a military coup in 1971, the Ugandan people were ecstatic about the possibility of change. Early in his administration, his flamboyance and casualness were interpreted by many as a fascinating connection to ordinary people. He is often photographed socializing and talking to people, and his lack of formal education makes him seem more approachable and less elitist than most world leaders should be.
Those same qualities made him particularly unsuitable for president, according to several Amin regime insiders interviewed in the film. He can barely comprehend the intricacies and nuances of global politics, and these intellectual failures fuel his most aggressive impulses. “The more insecure he was, the more ruthless he became,” explained one interviewee.
Nearly 40 years after his reign, the remnants of that brutality are still being felt. We visited the torture chamber where members of his opposition were brutally murdered. We’ve heard stories of trucks dumping bodies in the Nile. We learn about Armin’s belief in witchcraft and his occasional thirst for human blood. By the end of his eight-year reign, he is estimated to have claimed the lives of nearly 300,000 citizens.
Others in the film — including Amin’s own children — express admiration for the leader’s fortitude in the face of great battles. We’re told his early promotion in the British colonial army, his nine-year tenure as light heavyweight boxing champion, and his insatiable appetite for women led to five wives and more than 40 children. What others see as barbaric, such as Amin’s Asian population ban, which effectively crippled Uganda’s economy at the time, is now seen by some as embracing a new African entrepreneurial spirit.
Exquisitely produced by Africa Central Television, Idi Amin: Famous for the Wrong Reasons reminds us that the most notorious figures in world history are often among the most complex.
