The Story of Mohamed Amin by Brian Tetley

Author:Brian Tetley [Bob Geldof]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-9966-05-204-9
Publisher: Master Publishing
Published: 2013-08-16T04:00:00+00:00

10. Idi Amin’s OAU Circus

MOHAMED AMIN’S ‘GIFT OF THE gab’ is spellbinding. People fall to his charm and, in retrospect, often contrary and contradictory logic, as swiftly as he captures them in film through his lens. Most times, however, his line of thought is direct, piercing all hyperbole and hypocrisy. He sets about resolving problems with a powerful will.

When new restrictions limiting his right to enter Britain were endorsed on his new passport, No. 463577, issued on May 20, 1974 by the British High Commission in Nairobi, he had just such a problem. In effect, these 1968 laws created first, second, third, and ultimately fourth-class citizens. For him, however, the regulations were yet another challenge to be overcome.

‘I had what they call a D passport, basically a useless piece of paper. Because it gave no right of entry to Britain, it was not accepted by many other countries. You had to get visas for countries which did not normally require them for British passport holders.

‘It wasn’t just frustrating. It was very difficult to work. Once, for example, I was a guest of British Airways on an inaugural flight to Japan. The Japanese Embassy in Nairobi said that if I had a British passport, I didn’t need a visa.

‘But when we landed in Tokyo, all my other colleagues went through and I was held. Apart from the fact that it was embarrassing for me, it was also embarrassing for British Airways. I was their guest in Tokyo.

‘I was taken into a little room and the immigration officers got to work with lots of little papers and finally, these were handed to me and I was told I had been declared a Prohibited Immigrant for arriving in Tokyo without a passport.

‘Since I was only on what we call a “jolly,” it didn’t really matter, so I said, “What next?”

‘They said, “We have to tell you your rights. And your rights are that you can make an appeal. The appeal will be taken to court tomorrow morning and the decision will be conveyed to you.”

‘They filled in more forms, which they finally asked me to sign and I was told by this jolly little Japanese man, “You have now appealed and the result of your appeal will be given to you tomorrow.”

‘I asked what I should do in the meantime and they said, “We will allow you to go the hotel with the rest of your party, but you are not allowed to leave the hotel until your appeal has been heard.”‘

Next morning, while the others went to Kyota, Amin waited for the result of his appeal. About the middle of the day, he got a call from the airport to say it had been successful. He could stay in Tokyo—or indeed Japan—for three months.

‘I don’t want to stay in Tokyo for three months. I only want to stay for two weeks.’

‘Well, the judge said you should stay for three months, so we’ll give you a three months’ visa.’

Because of that passport, he was thrown out of Egypt.

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