5. The Rise of the “Emperor” of Central Africa
Jean-Bedel Bokassa (1921 -1996) is now largely forgotten outside the Central African Republican (CAR). But there used to be a time when he made headlines as the world’s most batty ruler. A military officer, Bokassa launched a coup in 1966 and seized power. He then ruled the CAR as its dictator until 1979. Erratic and prone to delusions of grandeur, Bokassa declared his small landlocked country an empire. He then anointed himself Bokassa I, Emperor of the Central African Empire.
Bokassa lived as a captain in the French colonial army when Central Africa gained its independence from France. The newly-independent country’s president, a distant cousin, appointed Bokassa to head its armed forces. He showed his gratitude by staging a coup, ousting his cousin from power. And, of course, appointed himself president. A huge fan of Napoleon Bonaparte, Bokassa emulated his idol by crowning himself Emperor of Central Africa. He then bankrupted his impoverished country with a lavish coronation event that cost about 80 million dollars. This event featured a diamond-encrusted crown worth 20 million.
