Idi Amin Dada, a former heavyweight boxing champion, was the military dictator and self-appointed president of Uganda during the 1970s. When he took control of the small African country back in 1971 the people hailed him as a hero. However, they could not have know what kind of man their glorious General would prove himself to be. Maybe the pressures of leadership got to him because pretty soon he began to act very strangely indeed.
Of all Amin’s larger than life characteristics, his ego is perhaps the most famous. He awarded himself many titles and honours, eventually styling himself as ‘His Excellency, President for Life Field Marshall Al Hadj Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC. Lord of all the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular’. This made him one of the most powerful men in the world, in his own mind at least. But there was one title he did not award himself – that of king. This is not to say that he did not wish to be a king, however. He is rumored to have sent a love letters to Queen Elizibeth II of England, proposing marriage and even that he be made King of Scotland. This is a strange thing for any man to do, especially one known to have despised the British. Of course, Queen Elizabeth did not return Amin’s affections. Perhaps she was turned off by the knowledge that he was a polygamist, amongst other things. He is known to have married at least six women throughout his life, one of whom was found dead, her body horrifically mutilated, after falling pregnant to another man. Amin is also thought to have fathered as many as 43 children.
Since Amin’s death in exile rumors have been abound that he enjoyed eating the flesh of his enemies, however there is very little evidence to suggest that this is true.
2.
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler is one of the most infamous names in history. The dictator and Furer of Nazi Germany is remembered as one of the most nefarious characters ever to wear a moustache. As a ruthless dictator and mass murderer he is considered by some to have been the embodiment of evil. Yet despite this – or perhaps because of it – he is also the most caricaturised and ridiculed historical figures of all time, appearing in more comedy shows and cartoons than Count Dracula and George Bush combined. We consider this to be a form of punishment, assuming that such a serious and egotistical man would hate being mocked and belittled so. However, this could not be further from the truth. Hitler was a great lover of comedy, the slapstick shenanigans of English comic Charlie Chaplin in particular. When Chaplin released his feature film ‘The Great Dictator’, in which he impersonated and publicly ridiculed the Furer, Hitler was not insulted in the least. In fact, he was said to have been amused and flattered by the performance. Add his winning sense of humour to the fact that he was also a vegetarian and an amateur painter, and you start to realize that Hitler wasn’t such a simmering pot of hatred and evil as history has made him out to be, more of a self deluding, misguided, genocidal buffoon. It is also thought that his failings as an artist may have been a causal factor of his genocidal tendencies. When VanGogh was frustrated he cut off his own ear, Hitler exterminated six million Jews instead.
So what about the rumors that Hitler only had one ball? Well, opinion seems to be divided on this. Many historians believe that this little nugget was nothing but propaganda and that it was first introduced into the public consciousness by way of the popular song, originally entitled ‘Goering has only got one ball’. However, there is evidence that Hitler did suffer a groin injury during the First World War and that his left testicle was indeed removed by army medics.
3.
Josef Stalin
Almost as bad as those of Hitler, the crimes committed by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin are often forgotten in the Western world. During his great purge nearly two million people were killed with many more being deported or sent to the torturous gulag detention camps. But while that statistic might have looked impressive on Stalin’s resume it tells us little about what he was like in person. Here are some things you probably don’t know about Josef Stalin.
First of all, did you know that Josef Stalin wasn’t his real name but a pen name? With his real name being unpronounceable he took to using this pseudonym back in the days when he was a political activist, possibly in an attempt to hide his Georgian roots. It means ‘man of steel’. After his rise to power, popular nicknames for Stalin in the Soviet Union included ‘Papa Stalin’ and ‘Little Father of the Peoples’, owing to the fact that he was only 5foot 4inches tall. President Truman once described the despot as a ‘little squirt’. Personally, I wouldn’t have called him this to his face; Stalin was notoriously sensitive about his height, having several portrait painters shot for failing to capture his godliness. If this wasn’t enough of a handicap for a dictator, a carriage accident in his youth had also left his left arm shortened and stiffened at the elbow, while his right hand was thinner than his left and frequently hidden.
Despite being a grumpy little man, Stalin was also the man behind the most wicked practical joke ever played. Being a very private man he gave the order that no person should enter his bed chambers on pain of death. Later, while in his chambers he decided to test whether his guards had listened to this instruction. Pretending to scream in pain he called for the guards stationed outside the door. Fearing that their leader was in trouble the guards burst into the room. Stalin had them executed for failing to follow his standing orders. This little prank soon backfired, however, when Stalin suffered a seizure while alone in his bedroom. The guards were too afraid to enter, finding him hours later laid in a puddle of stale urine. He died three days later.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
An explanation: Why Maradona wears two watches
Asking why Maradona does any of the wacky things he does is usually a futile attempt at finding a brick of logic in a hurricane of madness, but when it comes to why Maradona wore two watches while leading Argentina against Nigeria Saturday, there actually is an answer.
Maradona always wears two watches when he travels - one set to local time and one set to the time back in Argentina. Plus, as a man of extravagant taste (he also wears large diamond earrings and, of course, has a special expensive toilet seat installed in his hotel bathroom), Maradona also has a taste for fancy watches. A taste that the Italian tax authorities have enjoyed as a means of recouping a bit of the $39 million in back taxes he owes from when lived there while playing for Napoli. In 2006, they seized a pair of Rolexes from Maradona while he visited Naples for a charity match.
With those Rolexes long gone, Maradona now wears a pair of his own Hublot special edition watches that feature a silhouette of the former No. 10 raising his arms in victory (or perhaps to knock in a goal).
Of course, Maradona's accessories weren't limited to a pair of watches for the Nigeria match. In addition to the timepieces and his Goodfellas suit, he also clutched Rosary beads to help him pray for a fair match. And despite the best efforts of Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, Argentina got the victory.
If these results continue for Maradona, look for two watches to become a globe-sweeping trend. Paris Hilton will be wearing pink ones by July. Now you know who to blame.
Photos: AP, freshnessmag.com
Lusekelo with Light touch,
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
How far can you trust a friend?
So, Papi leaves on horseback and about a half hour later, he sees a cloud of dust behind him.
He waits for it to come closer and sees Mogaka.
"What's wrong?" He asks.
Mogaka replies. "You gave me the wrong key!"
Monday, June 21, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
DISTANT RELATIVES IS OUT NOW!!!
The Highly Anticipated collaborative album from Nas & Damian Marley has finally hit the stores. This is pure art and music. From the early listening of songs like "Africa Must Wake Up" and "As We Enter" it is safe to say that the fans are
Arc
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Sunday, June 13, 2010
mkoloni Karl Peters
Mo Ibrahim Foundation announces decision not to award 2010 Ibrahim Prize
The Prize Committee met yesterday to discuss the award of the 2010 Mo Ibrahim Prize. Following its deliberations, the Prize Committee informed the Board of the Foundation that it had not selected a winner.
Last year the Prize Committee announced that it had considered some credible candidates, but after in depth review could not select a winner. This year the Prize Committee told the Board that there had been no new candidates or new developments and that therefore no selection of a winner had been made.
The Ibrahim Prize recognises and celebrates excellence in African leadership. The prize is awarded to a democratically elected former African Executive Head of State or Government who has served their term in office within the limits set by the country's constitution and has left office in the last three years.
The first winner of the Prize was Joaquim Chissano, former President of Mozambique in 2007, followed by Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana in 2008. In addition Nelson Mandela was made an Honorary Laureate in 2007.
Responding to the Prize Committee’s decision, Mo Ibrahim, the founder and Chairman of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, said: “The Board respects the decision of the Prize Committee not to select a winner for the 2010 prize. The Prize Committee, which is independent from the Board, is a unique repository of experience and expertise.
“Whether there is a winner or not, the purpose of the Foundation is to challenge those in Africa and across the world to debate what constitutes excellence in leadership.
“The standards set for the Prize winner are high, and the number of potential candidates each year is small. So it is likely that there will be years when no Prize is awarded. In the current year, no new candidates emerged.
“Many African countries are making great strides not just economically, but also in terms of their governance. The Ibrahim Index, which measures the performance of African countries across around 80 governance criteria, indicates that the overall standard of governance is improving.
“Nevertheless, the Foundation is anything but complacent about the standards of governance in Africa. Its mission is to improve governance and nurture leadership in Africa. It is clear that much more needs to be done. It is for that reason that the Foundation has decided to promote complementary initiatives.
“For example, the Foundation will shortly be launching the Ibrahim Leadership Fellowships, a selective programme designed to identify and prepare the next generation of outstanding African leaders by providing them with mentoring opportunities in key multilateral institutions. The programme will seek to attract a number of highly qualified and talented professionals each year to serve in leading institutions whose core objective to improve the prospects of the people of Africa.
“The Foundation is currently working with pan-African organisations to design the fellowships. It will announce further details of them at the Foundation’s annual celebration and forum on governance to be held in Mauritius in November. Applications will open shortly afterwards and we expect the first Leadership Fellows to begin their Fellowships early next year.
“The task of promoting good African leadership is more important than ever. Good governance is crucial if African people are to share in the strong economic growth that many are predicting for Africa. There are many ways to support great leadership. The prize is one such way, the fellowships will be another.”
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
HEKAHEKA ZA KOMBE LA DUNIA
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Crazy Architecture
Monday, June 7, 2010
HISTORY REVISITED
The argument is total FALACY cause we all know the existing borders were made on 1884 at the Berlin Division of Africa conference where Tanzania fell under Deutsche OstAfrika and not after try to look at the map and you will see the same borders exist as a matter of fact the existing Tanganyika borders were later on changed to curve away Rwanda and Burundi by the League of Nations for Belgium to have a strategic upper hand on the control of the DRC, whereas for Lake Nyasa border dispute resulted from the authority on the lake been given to Nyasaland colonial administation by the British who at the time controlled all of EA (after WWI) and for unknown reasons they decided to alter the boundaries to give a room for Malawi to claim the whole lake but all this happened under British rule without the conscent of Leagues of nations or the UN as Tanganyika was under trustee at the time!
So Mr Aleksandra you better ask yourself if Mombasa and Lamu were under Zanzibar (a known fact that is documented)and Zanzibar later on became part of Tanzania, can it not be a reason to claim the map should go straight all the way to the coast and allow an incorporation of Mombasa within the Tanzania borders? Afterall the Mombasa people are more assimilated in culturewise to swahili people of Tanga and Zanzibar people than other people within Kenya giving the idea a boost since the Mombasa people are compactible mindwise with their Swahili brothers in Tanzania
Check here for more explanation