15. Jaffar Amin argues that his father, Ugandan strongman Idi Amin, was a fair and effective leader
Idi Amin Jaffar has gone down in history as one of Africa’s worst strongman dictators. A career politician and soldier, he became President of Uganda in 1971 and ruled over the country for eight years. During that time, he gained a reputation for being a total tyrant. Though outwardly charming, he was ruthless in crushing his opposition. Human rights groups charged him with numerous atrocities and with the systematic persecution of certain minorities. Additionally, the Amin regime is also charged with gross economic mismanagement of Uganda. However, according to Jaffar Amin, the dictator’s son, his father has been judged unfairly.
Jaffar is just one of Amin’s 40 ‘official’ children (in reality, the womanizing ruler is likely to have fathered more). In most cases, his offspring have kept their heads down, concentrating on careers in law or business and distancing themselves from their father and his regime. Jaffar, however, is notable for taking the opposite approach. Born in 1967 and the tenth of Amin’s official children by seven official wives, he was prompted to act after seeing his father portrayed by Forrest Whitaker in the hit movie The Last King of Scotland.
For the past decade, Jaffar has publicly spoken in support of Amin. In particular, he has worked hard to challenge the assertion that his father was an incompetent economist who drove Uganda close to ruin. Additionally, he contests claims that Amin was a human rights abuser. Jaffar has conducted numerous interviews with the international press as part of his mission to rehabilitate his father’s reputation and is planning on releasing a book giving a ‘true’ account of Uganda under Idi Amin.