IDI AMIN: HERO OR VILLAIN? HIS SON JAFFAR AMIN AND OTHER PEOPLE SPEAK

Compiled by Margaret Akulia

(Please scroll below to read!)

Compare details in this project and others with details contained in the Fictional Novel and Feature Film "THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND" starring Award Winning Film Star Forest Whitaker. Read and hear what Jaffar has to say about the terrible portrayal of his beloved step mother Kaysia (Kay) Amin.  What do Kay's biological children (now all grown up) and other step children have say about the terrible portrayal of their mother?  BECOME INVOLVED and learn the answers!  

Ask questions and participate in discussions that will be incorporated into the projects.  

Idi Amin



Jaffar Amin

A PRELUDE BY MARGARET AKULIA

Margaret Akulia

From the very first time he entered this world, "kicking" and "screaming" as a baby, to the time he ascended to the highest position in the land of Uganda and beyond, Idi Amin’s life was punctuated with controversies and dramas very few historical figures can lay claim to. His "kicking" and "screaming" as a baby earned him the notorious Kakwa name Awongo which means various things depending on the context, including and not limited to one who is loud or makes a lot of noise. Traditionally, all Kakwa names have very deep meanings and Kakwa children such as Idi Amin who are named after controversial life circumstances often eerily grow up to be what is implied in their Kakwa names.

According to accounts by Jaffar Amin, Idi Amin "screamed" and cried a lot as a baby. However, he shared a very deep and special bond with his mother Aisha Aate especially after being subjected to an ancient and unusual Kakwa "Paternity Test" involving an infant being abandoned in a jungle full of wild and dangerous animals for three days. If the infant survived the harsh elements of nature during the three-day ordeal, paternity would be "confirmed" beyond reasonable doubt. Imagine that!

In the case of Idi Amin, he didn’t only survive the controversy surrounding his contested paternity and wild animals foraging for food and prey in a perilous African jungle for three days as an infant, but he lived to tell the story! He lived to ascend to the highest position in the land of Uganda - dominating the headlines of the 1970s. 

Idi Amin Awongo Alemi Dada at the pinnacle of power as President of Uganda.  He had the "audacity" to make "descendants of Uganda's colonizers" kneel before him, an ultimate sign of reverence in the Kakwa tribe and other tribes in Uganda and Africa.  Was it pay back time? Stay tuned as the series unfolds!  What a "nerve!" 


Idi Amin’s mother Aate regularly told that her infant son Awongo survived the jungle because of Lemi (Just Cause or Justice) and because Nakan, a "sacred" snake wrapped itself around him for warmth and protection as it would do around its own eggs and young offspring - Yikes!

Idi Amin’s second Kakwa name Alemi is consequently derived from Lemi (Just Cause or Justice). Moreover Awongo Alemi was born during a heavy downpour of tropical rain which is considered an omen by many Kakwa people.

Jaffar has provided an excerpt relating to the unusual "Paternity Test" his father endured in the jungle as an infant and he couldn't resist responding to my revulsion about Serpent Worship and the reference to Nakan the snake that was credited with saving Idi Amin's life during the "Paternity Test" as a "Sacred Snake". So here are comments from him about Serpent Worship and the Yakan Religion:

COMMENTS FROM JAFFAR AMIN ABOUT SERPENT WORSHIP

The above commentary by Margaret Akulia (i.e "Yikes!") is typical to anyone who comes across the controversial arena of Serpent Worship, yet the Adi/Tale was strictly speaking my grandmother’s words to her beloved son in line with her cultural beliefs.

A Note to Visitors:

This Website and resulting E- and other Books concern my personal aim of enlightening the world as to who we are ethnically. It is an ethnographic chronicle interspersed with documented history and case studies. We have done this in conjunction with several cousins of mine in Canada who are well versed with our Ethnic Group the Kakwa.

However, Islam has increasingly taken ultimate priority in the upbringing of our Dada family culture. Away from our animist past history, with African Ophiolatry a key subject of interest by Edward B. Tylor writing as long ago as 1871 observed:

"Serpent worship unfortunately fell years ago into the hands of speculative writers, who mixed it up with occult philosophies, Druidical mysteries, and that portentous nonsense called the 'Arkite Symbolism, till now sober students hearing the very name of ophiolatry react with a shiver. Yet it is in itself a rational and instructive subject of inquiry, especially notable for its width of range in mythology and religion."

About the Yakan Religion

One of the most successful millenarian religions in Uganda was the Yakan cult, which arose in Sudan in the late nineteenth century. Leaders from Kakwa society (whose territory extends across the Uganda-Sudan border) traveled south in search of protection against epidemics, Arab slave caravans, and European military forces, all of which were sweeping Kakwa society in the 1890s. They returned home from the neighboring Lugbara territory with spring water they called "the water of Yakan." To those who drank it, they promised restored health, eternal life, and the return of the ancestors and dead cattle. In Kakwa society, Yakan leaders promised protection from bullets, and many Yakan leaders predicted the arrival of wagon loads of rifles to drive out all Europeans.

When sleeping sickness ravaged Lugbara society in 1911, Lugbara leaders sought out the Yakan prophets. One of them Rembi, traveled to Uganda and dispensed the water of Yakan. He was subsequently deported to Sudan and executed in 1917. With its new martyr, the cult flourished. When the British administration declared the sect illegal, people built shrines inside the walls of their homesteads, and believers used Yakan water to provide what they believed was spiritual protection against British patrols. The ban on the Yakan religion was impossible to enforce, and when it was lifted, Yakan believers felt their faith was vindicated.

As the religion developed, people began to use trance and speaking in tongues to strengthen and demonstrate their faith. In some areas, Yakan leaders appointed their followers to positions of prestige, and, as their power increased, a gradual reorganization of villages began to take place. Religious notables exercised political authority, and eventually they became so oppressive that their followers revolted. Colonial troops came in to restore peace, and the Yakan religion declined in influence but did not disappear. (Source: U.S. Library of Congress)

Nilo Hamite Ophiolatic Cult of "Yakanye"

A case in point is our very own Nilo Hamitic Cult of "yakanye". The cult is universally known to the Lugbara as Yakan. Yakan bears a close proximity to the animist Kakwa god, Nakan, the Sacred [Python] Snake, and a cult may possibly and very naturally have been associated with what is most venerable in the religious beliefs of our Nilo Hamitic /Plains Nilotic Ethnic tribe. Yakan is also a kinship term; Yakanye or grandmother among the Kakwa corresponding to Dede or grandmother among the Lugbara who use the term Yakanye and Dede indiscriminately as passwords.

It would appear from the use of these words, therefore, that the cult was readily assimilated to the ancestral aspect of our animist religions especially when we find as we shall that survival is dependent on joining the society. The sacred water, Yakanye associated with the cult was generally called Water of Yakanye (Nakan) and less often Allah water or Rabbanah (Rabbina) terms which originated with the Muslim Nubians who also knew it as dawa or medicine. The most important property in the ritual of this cult is the Sacred Water, to which repeated reference has been made which has always been obtained from the Kakwa. It is bought by members of the Highest and Middle grade priesthood for distribution from descendants of Logworo and Rembi. This inheritance can be traced through Rembi whose father, Achu, and uncle Anua were both leaders of the cult. Legend amongst the Kakwa claim the water is given by the Sacred [Python] Snake Nakan/Yakanye who lived by the sacred spring whence the water was drawn itself also called Yakanye.

Another case in point during a Litika/Lokita (Kakwa Communal Harvesting Season) in the 1980s in Koboko is that of one Muhammad Kamuje’s wife who placed their newly born son under the shade of a mango tree in full sight of the family busy in the field, not realizing, a fully grown Python was in the tree brunches. Without their notice it alighted and encircled the baby in a wall of shimmering serpent flesh "protecting" the child as if it were its eggs. Muhammad looked up from his efforts in the field only to rush towards the baby horrified at the sight of the enormous snake. He came rushing with deadly intent to kill the serpent he felt was in the process of crushing his beloved son, only to be stopped by the concerned shout from his elderly mother who was also in the field. "Don’t, don’t, that is our sacred Snake. It is looking after its own. Don’t!" Not convinced, he approached slowly and to his amazement, the huge python systematically unwound itself and gracefully slithered away into the bush. The father rushed to his son who still lay peacefully on the shawl with a certain "Static Warmth" still emanating from the recent mystic visitor.

Alternative Point of reference: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=329713&rss=yes

~ END OF COMMENTS BY JAFFAR AMIN ABOUT SERPENT WORSHIP ~

Who was Idi Amin? How did he end up becoming one of the most reviled figures in history after being held in very high esteem by his British superiors in the Kings African Rifles (KAR), a multi-battalion British colonial regiment raised from the various British "possessions" in East Africa from 1902 until independence in the 1960s? How did Idi Amin end up being so "despised" after initially being hailed "Jogoo", "Jogoo" ("Hero", "Hero") on the eve of the coup that catapulted him to the pinnacle of power in Uganda?

In this unprecedented series devoted to telling Idi Amin’s story in its entirety and not just aspects of the story, I engage his son Jaffar Amin and other people in candid conversation about Idi Amin’s life and legacy and what it was like for Jaffar Amin, growing up as Idi Amin’s son. From the time he was subjected to the ancient Kakwa "Paternity Test" involving him being abandoned on the slopes of the Legendary Kakwa Mountain Liru for three days as an infant, to the time of his demise in Saudi Arabia, on August 16, 2003, Idi Amin’s lifestory was destined for the "Box Office".

A lot has been written about Idi Amin, some of it made into hit movies - the most recent at the time of compiling the Introductory Edition of this series being the fictional hit movie "The Last King of Scotland", starring Award Winning Film Star Forest Whitaker. However, nothing compares to accounts by Jaffar Amin and his siblings, immediate family members and intimate friends of Idi Amin who have now become Temezi (Tribal Elders) and have nothing to lose that they haven’t already lost, by providing the most accurate accounts of Idi Amin’s story.

Despite a terribly "soiled" reputation and being dubbed "the Hitler of Africa", Villain", "Mad man", "Control Freak", "Paranoid Schizophrenic" and many other names, there are people who actually view Idi Amin as a hero and others who find his lifestory fascinating. Furthermore, people who knew Idi Amin intimately, before the curse of the colonial game of "Russian Roulette" played by Uganda’s colonizers (the British) came home to roost on the day he "ascended to the highest position in the land", insist that Idi Amin was a nice man.

BUT, BUT

There are also "dissenting" voices – ones that view Idi Amin as a Villain to the core!

So what happened to change a man described by Major A.E.D Mitchell a superior of Idi Amin’s in the Kings African Rifles as "very quiet, well mannered, respectful and loyal?" What happened to a man of whom another superior in the Kings African Rifles Ian Grahame writes in 1958, "As a platoon commander, however I found him (Idi Amin Dada) first-class. It is always his unit that has the best esprit, discipline and standards of field training…?"

Following are a small sample only of reflections collected from the Internet and others directed through this website in relation to Idi Amin that illustrate the conflicting characterization of Idi Amin as a Hero and a Villain at the same time:


Winfred a Ugandan national writes that Idi Amin is the only true Ugandan President that loved and cared for his people. He loved black people all over the world. He brought Sir Edward Mutesa's body back home to rest. He made the British Asians get back the right to settle in the U.K that had been denied to them by the British government. He banned calling mixed children half casts (abakyotara). Winifred adds that as Jaffar says, Idi Amin made us proud of our skin. He made the first Ugandan millionaire. He gave Mafuta Miingi. He fought apartheid in South Africa. Indeed he is the greatest. "I'm sorry for those who died in his time, but those responsible for the killings are still at large, not Amin", expanded Winifred before concluding, "Jaffar Amin, thank you so much for bringing back our man Idi Amin Dada. I never thought I would live to witness this. Mungu Iko!" 


Joseph, a member of the Kakwa tribe in the Sudan writes, "Amin was a hero. He was very instrumental in helping the Anya Anya 1 when he was the Army Chief of Staff. Doing what he did was very risky. This involved sending a military helicopter to deliver arms and ammunitions for the southern cause in a remote area around the Ugandan Sudan border. I and many others from the Kakwa in the Sudan regard him as a real hero of modern Kakwa history of our times." Joseph is speaking about the First Sudanese Civil War that occurred between 1955 and 1972.


Jonathan inquires about how Idi Amin spent his time after he was forced to flee to the Arab Lands? "I find his lifestory quite fascinating and I think he must have felt quite sad about the situation in Uganda after he was forced to flee", Jonathan offered before continuing, "I am an American, but I lived in Scotland in 1970-71, where I went to high school. I too, became fascinated with all things Scottish".  


Neil directs a note to Jaffar Amin saying that his "old man" met Jaffar’s "old man" before he became President and as far as he knows, Jaffar’s old man was a very liked man.


Roland writes, "I just watched the last King of Scotland and it was very interesting" before adding, "Is there a way to e-mail Mr. Amin's son directly?" 


Hellen a Brazilian writes that she lived in Uganda for a couple of years and recently watched the movie "THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND" and decided to know more about Idi Amin..." ...I am very impressed with your work, and I´ve been doing some research and found out that not everything in that movie is true, which to me was very disappointing, especially the way they exposed Kay Amin in an affair with a doctor that seems to not exist.. There is so much I would like to ask.."


The voices that view Idi Amin as a Villain are just as numerous. Again, we have provided a small sample only below:


A Journalist writes: "Amin was renowned for brutally snuffing out "troublemakers". He seized power in 1971 and subjected Uganda to a reign of terror, ordering the killing of hundreds of thousands of people and expelling the country's Asian community.


Jenny, A Ugandan living in the UK writes, "My father was arrested by Amin's police on a plane at Entebbe airport and physically thrown off the plane on the runway. This happened in front of my mum and us children and we were all crying thinking he would be killed. He was taken to the police barracks and beaten up. By pure luck he was "unofficially" released by a policeman who recognized him because his children and us children used to play together at a local swimming pool. A few days later we drove out of the country to Kenya in a convoy of English families with my Dad pretending to be a chauffeur. We ran a gauntlet of drunken soldiers waving guns who were shooting people for no reason. We never lived in Uganda again."


Ansuya, an Asian with roots in East Africa writes, "My family was in Kenya at the time Idi Amin took control of Uganda. The impact of his action were felt in Kenya and Tanzania as many Indians felt that their days were numbered in East Africa. My parents decided it was time to move out of Kenya. I had many relations in Uganda who were forced to leave and my uncle in his 90s had to leave to go to India with my aunt who was bed-ridden. It was a very sad time for a lot of people that I knew as they had to leave their possessions and come to England or India or Canada with one suitcase."


Simon, a Ugandan writes: "I recall the date vividly. I was an 18year old A-level student at old Kampala secondary school. The Radio Uganda announcement of the coup was read by Warrant Officer II, Sam Wilfred Aswa, followed by Major General Idi Amin himself, who gave his reasons for the coup, in halting English. Amin's statement was followed by one from the inspector general of police, Erinayo Wilson Oryema, who informed us that he had "sincerely agreed before the Major General, that the military had taken over the government"! In the meantime, the slaughter of Acholi and Langi officers and men had started on a large scale in the army barracks. For the rest of Uganda, the nightmare was only beginning!"


Alan, another Ugandan writes: "As a 12-year-old boy I remember the day very vividly. The sounds of guns shooting in the air, normal programming on radio Uganda was all of a sudden cut off and all you could hear was military band music. After a few hours, an army officer came on the air, did not give his name or anything. He just said in a thick northwest Ugandan accent: "The government of Uganda has been taken over....I repeat the government of Uganda has been taken over and any interfering force will be crushed." I thought to myself something big must be going on so I ran from my house to the main road to see what was going on. There were military transports carrying troops at high speed down the road. Some of them would stop and officers would jump out and start beating anyone who had a shirt or dress with a picture of Milton Obote on it. It seems like it was yesterday. I left Uganda during the war that got him kicked out of the country. It's a sad legacy because the country has never been the same since even with the improvements in the economy and government."


We begin this unprecedented series "IDI AMIN: HERO OR VILLAIN? HIS SON JAFFAR AMIN AND OTHER PEOPLE SPEAK" by providing opportunities for interaction with Jaffar Amin and other people, through a variety of Forums and as Project Participants. The aspect of the project that involves visitors and Project Participants interacting with Jaffar Amin starts with a "Sneak Preview" of episodes and experiences Jaffar had growing up as Idi Amin's son. These are excerpted from Jaffar's writings and the series and a link is provided below to a page containing the "Sneak Preview".  The aspect of the project that involves visitors and Project Participants interacting with other people starts with an Article by Timothy Kalyegira in the web page titled "Ugandans Speak".  Additional Articles by Timothy Kalyegira and others are being compiled and they will be made available as the series unfolds. 

Visitors to this site are encouraged to ask questions about any aspect of Idi Amin’s life and legacy and how Jaffar experienced growing up as Idi Amin’s son. We also encourage registration to receive the ENewsletter and participation in the project.

Jaffar Amin reviews all questions directed to him through this site. However, owing to the volume of questions received, it is not always possible for him to respond to them individually. For purposes of this series, questions posed to Jaffar Amin, along with his responses are being compiled for inclusion in the series. Ongoing Project Participants will be given opportunities to review some of these questions and responses and encouraged to pose their own questions on an ongoing basis. They are also encouraged to submit their own reflections as the series unfolds!


Material excerpted from Jaffar Amin’s book projects and Reflections offered by myself provide background information for the series, along with information provided by Jaffar’s siblings, immediate family members and intimate friends of Idi Amin who have now become Temezi (Tribal Elders). We encourage visitors to navigate the site www.idiamindada.com for excerpts uploaded onto the site as these excerpts include snippets from Jaffar Amin’s Book Projects.


Plans are underway to publish "IDI AMIN: HERO OR VILLAIN? HIS SON JAFFAR AMIN AND OTHER PEOPLE SPEAK" into a series of books along with an accompanying Documentary for Television and a Feature Film. Click on the link to view a page containing a selection of Story Excerpts and Highlights of the series.Information about the Introductory Edition is coming soon!


Click on the links below to:

1.  INTERACT WITH JAFFAR AMIN AND OBTAIN A "SNEAK PREVIEW" OF EPISODES AND EXPERIENCES JAFFAR HAD GROWING UP AS IDI AMIN'S SON.

2.    BECOME INVOLVED IN THE SERIES "IDI AMIN: HERO OR VILLAIN? HIS SON JAFFAR AMIN AND OTHER PEOPLE SPEAK" AND PREVIEW SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SERIES.

3.    READ "TELLING IDI AMIN’S STORY", BY MARGARET AKULIA.

4.    HAVE A SAY IN WHETHER IDI AMIN WAS A HERO OR A VILLAIN.

5.    DISCUSS CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS AND THEMES RELATING TO IDI AMIN.