Constructing the Tyrant: A Filmic Analysis of Idi Amin in the Film the Rise and Fall of Idi Amin
Abstract
This study examines the filmic portrayal of Idi Amin in the film The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin (1981) to understand how cinema constructs political autocracy and postcolonial African leadership. The justification for this inquiry lies in the critical need to explore how African leaders, particularly autocrats, are represented in film, an underexplored area in African cinema studies. This study was anchored in postcolonial theory. Furthermore, the study aimed to explore how the film navigates ideological tensions between historical authenticity and Western cinematic representations of African figures. The study employed a qualitative approach, utilizing close textual analysis of the film, supplemented by thematic analysis to identify recurrent motifs and representational patterns. The findings revealed that the film simultaneously reinforces and critiques dominant political myths surrounding postcolonial African states, using the figure of Amin as a symbolic site for contesting narratives of power, violence, and identity. This study contributes to scholarship in African film studies, political representation, and postcolonial critique, offering nuanced insights into the role of cinema as a cultural medium for shaping and contesting political memory.
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