Whatever the country, there are expectations on the conduct of a president. However, some presidents are unapologetic buffoons. This one President toyed with the Queen of England for years and even challenged a fellow president to a boxing match!
Presidential Buffoonery Qualifications
The name buffoon has been used to describe a few presidential aspirants over the years, most notably Donald Trump and Boris Johnson.
The ridiculousness of a former journalist or a boisterous businessman eyeing a prime ministerial/presidential seat in the UK or the US can’t be overstated. However, right now, we may all have gotten used to it, seeing that both Johnson and Trump ended up being their nation’s leaders!
President Trump and Prime Minister Johnson may look less like buffoons since their achievements. But there is one man whose association with the word was more justified and frequent, more so during his presidential reign.
Idi Amin’s Antics
Idi Amin Dada Oumee – former Uganda’s dictatorial president – is a name associated with brutality and harsh dictatorship. In almost equal measure, evidence of the man’s association with buffoonery is littered throughout history’s annals.
Some definitions of the word buffoons imply that they are playing the fool rather than being actually stupid. Various actions Amin left the media and other spectators wondering which one applied to him.
His Assumed Titles
A ray of comic relief pierces the gloomy cloud that is Amin’s story when analyzing the titles he assumed during his reign. One of his most notable titles was Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular – quite a mouthful, even for you, Amin.
He conferred this title on himself after Britain ended diplomatic relations with his regime. In an effort to save face, peddle some propaganda, and reiterate his hold on his country, Amin slapped the mouthful title onto the list of his numerous others.
The official title(s) that accompanied Amin’s name include His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas, and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular.
Toying with the UK
Amin would send repeated telegrams to the Queen voicing support for Irish, Scottish, and Irish national liberation struggles and denouncing British neo-colonialism.
He would also unnerve the Foreign Office and military authorities by announcing intentions to visit Britain. They would jump into frenzied efforts to deter him from visiting – of course he never actually did.
Amin was no stranger to making absurd and grandiose gestures or sending ridiculous personal messages to world leaders. Most notably, he once set up a fund that he labeled the “Save Britain Fund” to send his third-world country’s former colonizers financial assistance.
Upon becoming the leader of the Conservative Party, Margaret Thatcher would receive the weirdest congratulatory letter from Amin. He described her appearance as “very charming, very happy, very fresh, very beautiful, intelligent, and confident” before telling her that he was “very deeply impressed by (her) appearance”
I Don’t Like Human Flesh; It’s Too Salty for Me
During his lifetime and afterward, there were constant rumours that Amin used to eat his rivals. The brutality and instability of Amin’s regime was never in question. However, the claims of Amin’s cannibalism never had adequate evidence to back them.
Some sources alleged that he had a refrigerator with decapitated heads of his enemies. Others alleged that he would eat his purported enemies alive.
When finally asked about these claims, Amin’s buffoonery surfaced in his response: “I don’t like human flesh; it’s too salty for me.”
In fact, Amin’s nickname Mr. Jaffa came from his incredible affinity for the Jaffa orange. He would eat up to 40 oranges a day.
It is speculated that he loved oranges so much because of a claim that they’re ‘nature’s Viagra’. Whether or not this consumption stood up to its claim for Amin isn’t verifiable.
The First Boxing Challenge
On December 9, 1974, the Sixth All Africa Amateur Boxing Championships began in Lugogo, Kampala. As you’d expect, such an event stood to attract Amin, a former boxer.
What you wouldn’t expect was that Amin’s first order of business would be challenging the national boxing coach to a curtainraiser boxing match! His Sports Minister, Maj-Gen Francis Nyangweso tried his best to dissuade Amin to no avail.
Typifying his way of doing things, Amin declared that the bout would be taking place with no prior warning or scheduling. He entered the ring, still in his neck-tie. The coach, Peter Grace Seruwagi wore a tracksuit.
Years later, Seruwagi would say, “I was surprised because you don’t open the games by fighting the coach,” before adding, “Of course, we had to fake a knockout. How do you beat a president?”
The coach also explained that if he had defeated Amin, his life would’ve ended before the night did. The message was clear since Amin’s security surrounded the ring as Seruwagi entered the ring.
The African Presidential Boxing Championship?
By now we’ve established Amin’s buffoonery and his aptitude for throwing out challenges as casually as Santa with gifts. Add these to his boxing background and you won’t be too surprised with him challenging a fellow president to a bout.
The story’s setting sounds like something from an ancient action film. Kings of two warring nations decide to duel rather than risk the lives of their troops.
It was 1979 when Tanzania and Uganda were locked in a war. Idi Amin, Uganda’s president suggested that he and Julius Nyerere, Tanzania’s president determine the outcome of the war in a boxing ring.
Unless Nyerere, a former teacher had an ace up his sleeve, it’s a safe guess that the former boxer, Amin would’ve won. Of course, Nyerere brushed him off and came out on top in the actual war.
Amin’s Effective Buffoonery
Evidently, Amin was quite the buffoon with different advantages for him.
Often, opponents tend to underestimate the intelligence of buffoons. Their actions also distract from the incompetent or frightening actions of the leader. Amin seemingly enjoyed being underestimated and needed to distract from his brutality.
He always had plausible deniability. He could always say, “It was just a joke.” The ambiguity of whether or not he was joking produces confusion and uncertainty. To this day, the seriousness of most of his actions remains uncertain.
