Several books, films and documentaries made on his life portray him as the continent’s icon of evil, and in 2021, yet another, biography, Idi Amin: The Story of Africa’s Icon of Evil, by British social anthropologist Mark Leopold examines the various accounts written about Amin by African and western writers.
Leopold sets out to answer a few basic questions to separate fact from fiction: What is the real truth about Idi Amin? Why did Amin, rather than other dictators of his generation, become such a lasting icon of evil? And if most writers on Amin present him as an unintelligent, buffoonish man, how was he able, then, to rise to the top in the military, and eventually assume the country’s top office and rule Uganda for nearly a decade? Did he simply stumble into success by accident? And just how murderous was he?
