[ATTACH=full]194402[/ATTACH]
In 1965/6 Jean-Badel Bokassa led a coup d’tat using his position as the head of the Central African Republic’s armed forces. In the early morning of January 1st 1966, following the successful arrest of then President David Dacko (Bokassa’s distant cousin), he broadcast this message
“Central Africans! Central Africans! This is Colonel Bokassa speaking to you. At 3:00 a.m. this morning, your army took control of the government. The Dacko government has resigned. The hour of justice is at hand. The bourgeoisie is abolished. A new era of equality among all has begun. Central Africans, wherever you may be, be assured that the army will defend you and your property … Long live the Central African Republic”
For the next 11 years he ruled as the nation’s President. During this time he was unpredictable domestically and internationally, survived a different coup d’état, and as a curious point of social progression named Elisabeth Domitien as the country’s first ever woman Prime Minister.
Then in 1976, Bokassa decided the title President for Life just didn’t have enough snazz. So he proclaimed himself Emperor of Central Africa and renamed his nation the Central African Empire. He decided to proclaim himself Emperor. He dissolved the government, replacing it with the Central African Revolutionary Council. He then rewrote the Constitution, changing the name of the country to the Central African Empire and becoming His Imperial Majesty Bokassa I. In 1977, he had a lavish Napoleon-style imperial coronation.
[ATTACH=full]194405[/ATTACH]
For the occasion, the Emperor had ordered a two-tonne throne of solid gold made by a French sculptor, diamond crown made by a Parisian jeweler, and sumptuous clothes designed by Pierre Cardin. Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, self-styled “friend and family member” of Bokassa’s family, and, incidentally, also the President of France, lent his friend aircraft, army battalion and musicians for the ceremony. Bokassa was crowned in the Catholic cathedral in his capital: in order to do this, he had to convert back to Christianity (he had converted to Islam few months before when being friendly with Muammar al-Gaddafi).
Apparently, Ghaddafi had promised Bokassa a million dollars if he converted to Islam. Bokassa converted, took the money and later reverted to Christianity
Of course, not everything worked out perfectly. For instance, he wanted to ride is a horse-drawn carriage to the cathedral. The problem is that horses cannot survive long in the Central African climate so they had to be fetched from far away. The only possible transportation was by airplane. However, once in the airplane, horses started to panic. Two of them broke their legs. Other horses arrived but were exhausted and the gilded bronze carriage was too heavy for them. Two more died during the ceremony and Bokassa had to move to a limousine.
[ATTACH=full]194406[/ATTACH]
Also, sadly for Bokassa I, no foreign leader attended his coronation, not even his friend Giscard d’Estaing. Well, some important guests did come: the French Minister of Cooperation and the Prime Minister of Mauritius. Nevertheless, he was crowned and became the Emperor of Central Africa by the will of the Central African people, united within the national political party, the MESAN. And he enjoyed his status for two years, before the French decided they wanted another guy running this independent country, and deposed him.
The Central African Empire in All its Glory
[ATTACH=full]194407[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=full]194400[/ATTACH]
