Rattlings of a vulgar man

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33869, 14 June 1975, Page 10

Rattlings of a vulgar man

The Further Bulletins of Idi Amin. By Alan Coren. Robson Books. 96 pp. N.Z. price $1.65. “De revoltin’ wogbashers only readin' dis matchless prose fo' de chance to go ’Har. har. har! Wot Citizen Coon up to dis week?’,” writes "Idi Amin" in this second collection of despatches from "Punch” magazine’s correspondent in Uganda. Readers of “The Collected Bulletins of Idi Amin” will know to expect something outrageous in the second collection: they- will not be disappointed. But the world knows the Government of President Amin of Uganda, in real life, is outrageous. Pouring the scorn of satire on Amin through what purports to be the collected thought* of "President and

Commander-in-Chief Idi Amin Esq.. V.C., D. 5.0.. M.C., D Litt, Al-Haji” is a public service. And very good fun. too. A few quotations should allow readers to decide whether or not they approve. Of President Nyerere of Tanzania: “You sufferin’ from a condition wot known in de medical trade as goin' barmy!” Of changes of Government in Cyprus during the civil war last year: “De buggars cornin’ in an' out quicker than I learnin’ to pronounce de damn names!” Of himself: “In de resoundin' word.-, o’ de immoral Wilfrid Shakespeare, some men gittin’ born great, some achievin' de greatness, an’ some giftin' de greatness thrust, up ’em.” Of Shirley Temple: "Shakin’ de ringerlets arf shoutin' about de animal knackers in de soup.” Of the St Valentine’s Day Massacre and Al Capone's fame. “Jus’ fo' knockin’ off a mere seven people wot you can count on de fingers o' one hand. . . you a pretty lousy massacrer if you managin' to miss 1.999,993 other people in Chicago ” After the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch. on the spirit of sportsmanship: "Wot a load o' ole cobblers! Everyone know de whole purpose bein’ to git de stuff up on de mantlepiece an' make de neighbours eyes do de poppin’ out all over de carpet, also lettin’ 'em know dat if they kickin' up a row in de night or lettin’ de dog pee on de uraniums they gonna find theirselves hangin' on de communal fence wid de javelins through de froat!” On “’de smack o' firm gumment": "In Uganda you can hear de smack four miles away on a clear night." The real President Amin probably said none of these things: his speeches have been just as absurd and terrifying. The “bulletins,’’ — in their pidgin English, their megalomania, and their vulgarity capture the true flavour of Amin's Uganda.