Major General Sir Edward Frederick William David Walugembe Mutebi Luwangula Muteesa II KBE, was Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda from 22 November 1939 until his death. He was the thirty-fifth Kabaka of Buganda and the first President of Uganda. The foreign press often referred to him as King Freddie, a name rarely used in Uganda.
Julian Bray writes: Current Events in Zimbabwe strongly suggest that a bloodless coup is in progress by the military and that President Mugabe is effectively under house arrest and will either be spirited out of the country or moved sideways. But what actually happens when the military moves in?
The last time I experienced an African coup was in Uganda around about the time that Britain had won the World Cup in 1966. King Freddie of Buganda (the largest of seven sovereign Kingdoms inside Uganda) had challenged the Kampala central government under the then president Milton Obote ( who was later ousted by the 'King of Scotland' the despot General Ida Amin Dada). Only Obote then had the Army and Air Force, poor King Freddie only had a big drum and some antique spears....he later died in exile in the UK.
In Ugandas' case an immediate curfew was ordered and everyone told to stay inside and off the streets after 6pm to 9am the following morning. Quite good timing for my point of view as it was my Birthday in May 1966, so the pre-arranged party had to go on... all night, but well away from the windows.
Uganda TV was in its infancy, so the main method of communication was Uganda Radio, rather like an early BBC local radio set up and indeed the BBC had installed it just prior to independence, a few years earlier, no computers or telephones then just gramophone records and an EMI tape machine.
The military had moved armoured personnel carriers, jeeps and lorries onto every street corner and set up gun placements and army checkpoints. Barriers everywhere.
The checkpoints were a fiscal joke, as quickly the troops,still smiling, used them as a convenient way to earn some extra cash. Either pay up or endure a long search of your car. 20 Uganda shillings (about £1 sterling) was the going rate.
Military music on the radio initially replaced the light Congolese music favoured in Uganda at that time, but on Uganda TV the military tunes gave way to endless looped 'Booker T and the MGs Green Onions' ...the whole LP, both sides!
I'd forgotten that I had lent (gifted) the TV station my personal LP of Green Onions, and it became an instant hit with the TV station staff then operating out of the old redundant Kampala Hospital, replaced by the UKs Independence present to Uganda Mulago Hospital. One casualty of the curfew was my cook/ houseboy who ventured out after curfew for a packet of cigarettes. I had to bail him out (50 Uganda shillings)
Meanwhile MDC-T leader [Piers?] Morgan Tsvangirai has returned to Zimbabwe and will on Thursday hold a series of meetings with his party structures amid revelations his party is backing the current intervention by the military. Best of luck with that Morgan ...
JULIAN BRAY +44(0)1733 345581, Journalist & Broadcaster, Aviation Security & Airline Operations Analyst/expert, ... Travel & Holiday Guru www.aviationcomment.com, ... http://www.freelancedirectory.org/user.php?user=8121 ... www.freelancedirectory.org?name=Julian.Bray.aviation.comment, ... Aviation / Travel / Maritime & Cruise Industries, NUJ, EQUITY, LIVE ISDN LINK, Broadcast ISDN COOBE ++44 (0)1733 345020 ... SKYPE: JULIAN.BRAY.UK e&oe Old faithful NOKIA: 07944 217476
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