A biopic about Jean Bedel Bokassa certainly wouldn’t be to explain how he just missed out on the humanitarian of the year award. Instead it would almost need to follow the spin of how he became one of the most unknown yet historically corrupt men in world history. If you need a brush up on who the man was and what he did then go to the link above, but you might not like what you find. He was in fact a victim of circumstance in his younger years, but when choice became a possibility he didn’t hesitate to take the easier, more selfish path that leads to eventual ruination and possible damnation. Despite those facts he took it all the same because he wanted what he wanted, and his earliest years were no doubt a demon he couldn’t outrun.
That seems to be the only way to explain the lives of men like Bokassa since saying anything otherwise would be to deny that such things as balance and good and evil are invalid ideas that don’t exist. Some would agree with that idea since they don’t care for a world that judges them based on the morality of their choices. Actions having consequences is not always a matter of morality in many cases, as many would rather see it as cause and effect that has no bearing on whether they’re seen as a good or a bad person. Might makes right is what some people have chosen to go by in their lives and it has somehow managed to work for them, usually because they have found out a way to be mightier or more influential than those around them. But Bokassa is one of the few that strikes a rather nasty chord within history.
This is a man that deposed his own cousin for power and little else. He’s also the type of guy that forced the nation’s school children to purchase expensive uniforms from a company run by one of his wives. When the children refused he executed 100 of them as an example of his authority. Only in various nations could such a horrific tragedy be allowed, as in the US our country would gladly lynch the president that made such a decision. In fact it’s safe to say that matters would never go that far since the moment anyone got wind of a coup like that which put Bokassa in power, they would be reacting to the threat without hesitation. Plus, if matters did get that far the US would never allow the exploitation of children in such a blatant manner. Africa is a very different country however, and during Bokassa’s rule Central Africa was not a nice place.
Any biopic of him would have to be as neutral as possible, but with the things he’s done it might be kind of difficult. Not only would a person have to understand how a person like Bokassa came to be, but they would have to understand as well just why he did the things he did. Unfortunately understanding evil can be like trying to understand madness, you won’t like what you find.
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