{UAH} PRESIDENT IDI AMIN & MIRIAM MAKEBA ON THE DAY BEFORE THE STORM AT THE UN

Africa's most popular female artist Miriam Makeba from South Africa, together with her Black American husband were received by President Idi Amin at a dinner reception that the Ugandan leader had organized in New York, USA on October 4th 1975.

Amin had arrived in America to attend the UN General Assembly, and open the multi-storeyed Uganda house right opposite UN Headquarters in New York.

He held the reception to meet and discuss with African leaders and diplomats. As Chairman of the African Union he was scheduled to speak to the world on behalf of the entire peoples of Africa.

My father was a staunch believer in panafricanism. He actually led Africa's struggle for liberation and independence against persisting colonialism, was the person who brought the idea of the famous Frontline states to liberate southern Africa, and he actually led Africa's fight against Apartheid during the years he was President.

He was also what today would be called "a Black Lives Matter" activist as he spoke out against racism, and for the rights of all black people. Including supporting the civil rights movement in the United States where black citizens are yet to see equality and justice. As is crystal clear, to this day they still face hate and discrimination simply because of the color of their skin.

Could Minister Louis Farrakhan one day narrate the discussions he had with my father since they met several times both in Africa and even after President Idi Amin had left his country?

The idea for the historic One Million Man March to Washington on 16th October 1995 in the US actually first came up during those discussions they had together over a cup of Turkish coffee at a hotel lobby in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in the early 90's. Louis Farrakhan would return to the US, and together with other black American leaders, they would successfully call on a million black American men to leave their women and children safe at home, and march to Washington demanding for an end to racial injustice and an end to institutionalized discrimination against black people. (See One million Man March: wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Man_March)

It was a major milestone moment in the racial history of the United States. Black people all coming together from across the country. Something many thought was impossible after Martin Luther King's murder.

But the day after the Ugandan leaders reception, the president would also give one of his most memorable speeches on global issues. including on racism, to world leaders at the UN General Assembly on 5th October 1975. Ugandans mostly remember that on that day he decided to speak to world leaders in a Ugandan language called Luganda (with the Ugandan ambassador acting as his English interpretor for the global congregation). It brought pride to Africans to see him put an African language on that UN stage for the first time ever.l, and the issues he raised  captured the imagine of the continents leaders and united the continent.

Miriam Makeba was known as Mama Africa. She was the most popular female artist across Africa, and was even regularly invited to speak and perform around the world at anti-apartheid events. She was a singer, song writer, actress, UN goodwill ambassador, civil rights activist and anti-apartheid activist.

My late mother Mrs. Kay Amin loved Miria Makeba so much. I remember that during her free time in the afternoons, the First lady would take a radio, a book, sometimes documents of her projects, and a mat outside to the vast State House gardens where she would do her reading and listen to the news on radio in the afternoons. She would also play music from cassettes and ask me to dance the 'twist' to Miria Makeba's famous song "Pata Pata".

Having been raised to Makeba's music, I was fortunate to see her live and in person for the first and last time during one of her last ever performances in 2006 in Khartoum, Sudan where I was volunteering for the UN peacekeeping missions in Darfur. I have to say thanks to a British colleague, Christina Saunders who was kind enough to bring the event to my attention. It was a memorable event (How the concert went down: nation.co.ke/lifestyle/weekend/1220-105884-x5da5rz/index.html)

Unfortunately that was Miriam Makeba's farewell concert. She past away in Italy two years later on 9th November 2008 at the age of 76.

Here is the link to what I wrote in March 2017 about President Idi Amin's famous speech that shocked the world the very next day after this reception/dinner in New York pictured here with the late Miria Makeba: facebook.com/HusseinLumumbaAmin/photos/a.10152092792951844/10155310460461844/

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