{UAH} 2019 INTERNATIONAL REMEMBRANCE DAY MESSAGE

Photo: Mzee Andreas Nyabira Amin, (father of Field Marshal President Idi Amin Dada). Photo taken in 1976, barely a few months before he passed away.

As the world gather's for this year's International Remembrance Day (known in some countries as 'Veterans Day'), it marks the anniversary of the end of World War I (1914-1918). On this day 101 years ago, major hostilities were formally ended at the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1918, when the Armistice between the allies and Germany went into effect.

My Grandfather Mzee Andrea Nyabira Amin (RIP) was a World War I veteran. He served with the Kings African Rifles (the British colonial army in East Africa) and returned from the war in 1918 before joining the police force two years later in 1920. He was posted at Nakasero police barracks where Nile Mansions (now Serena Hotel) currently stands. That is exactly where my father President Idi Amin was born 8 years later, and for tourists sake, there is a memorial stone from the 1970's in the vast hotel compound indicating that these grounds are where the reknown, charismatic Ugandan leader was born when it was still Nakasero police barracks.

My grandfather was later transferred to Kololo police barracks (now known as Jinja road police) and then Naguru Police barracks which is today Uganda Police headquarters.

2019 marks 105 years since Uganda Police was first created. It also marks 105 years since the start of World War I.

My grandfather contributed to both the Uganda Police force and World War I where he selflessly fought on behalf of the British.

Those who have read about World War I will remember that it was particularly difficult in East Africa. British forces fought against Germany mainly on the border areas between Kenya and Tanzania.

At the time of the war, nearly all European nations involved in the First World War were also imperial powers that possessed colonies across the globe. Especially in Africa which had been formally divided into separate colonies following the infamous "Scramble for Africa", the 1885 Berlin Conference by European countries plus the United States.

At the centre of the East African war theater during World War I, was the German colony of German East Africa, which corresponds to modern day Tanzania, and British East Africa which is modern day Kenya and Uganda.

In a 2015 article published by the British Council, researcher David Steinbach wrote: "All colonial powers promoted the idea of a 'European civilising mission [to Africans]' – that is, bringing the rule of law, order, stability, and peace to Africa. Yet, in August 1914, they showed little hesitation before turning this part of Africa into a theatre of blood."

The African casualties on both sides were humongous. Those who died in the biggest numbers were the hundreds of thousands of African porters who carried the ammunition, food and logistics literally on their heads and bear backs in extreme conditions of unchartered jungles, rivers and savannah's infested with carnivorous wild animals, mosquitoes and venomous snakes. They did so for barely any salary from England and the British army on one side, and the German army on the other.

Scholar Hilke Fischer who has studied and written on the matter said in a 2014 research paper that: "A million people died in East Africa alone during the First World War. Many Africans also fought in Europe, defending the interests of their colonial masters. Today, their sacrifice has been largely forgotten."

Signed: Hussein Lumumba Amin

Kampala, Uganda.

More about the East African Theater of World War I: wikipedia.org/wiki/East_African_Campaign_(World_War_I)

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