Last week I went to see the Last King of Scotland, a 2006 British film based on Giles Foden's novel of the same name. The story revolves around how a young Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan, becomes, by chance, the personal physician to the new Ugandan President Idi Amin and descends ever deeper into the moral corruption of Amin's Uganda. The main character, Dr Garrigan, is fictional but loosley based on events in the life of Amin's English-born associate Bob Astles.
Some interesting points from the film
- The charm of a dictator - the film showed how Amin charmed his way into the lives of diplomats, the press and initially his doctor. However behind the facade, he was wiping out any opposition. It was amazing how the film showed that one could be taken in and almost like him in some respects, and not face up to the reality and depth of depravity that a man could go, and how far power could corrupt.
- White man's burden - interesting point at Dr Garrigan, the main character, simply spins the globe and randomly picks Uganda to go to, without knowing background, history, being promiscious and not facing up to the realities of poverty, corruption and conflict that were present. How blind many westerners are - they go to Africa with the patronising view of being a saviour and in this case it was Dr Garrigan that ended up needing saved, by a Ugandan.
- The hypocrisy of states - the British trained Amin, welcomed and possibly helped put him in power, to then have him expel all Asians (most of whom came to Britain) and then murder his own opposition so they had to close down their embassy and condem him. So often people are put in power just to suit national interests rather than being good for the country in question.
