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Idi Amin and renaming roads and landmarks: A Short thread
Imperialists renamed lakes Rutazingye and Mwitazigye as Edward (Henry Morton Stanley - 1888) and Albert (Samuel Baker - 1864).
Amin renamed them Idi Amin Dada and Mobutu Sese Seko in 1972 as part of his Economic War.
Imperialists renamed lakes Rutazingye and Mwitazigye as Edward (Henry Morton Stanley - 1888) and Albert (Samuel Baker - 1864).
Amin renamed them Idi Amin Dada and Mobutu Sese Seko in 1972 as part of his Economic War.
Which UNLF government decided to reinstate the colonial names? Was it Prof. Lule's or Binaisa's? OR even Muwanga's and Museveni's Military Commission (which overthrew the UNLF arrangement)?
What needs to be done and by who, to reinstate the native names of these lakes?
What needs to be done and by who, to reinstate the native names of these lakes?
For Lake Dweru, Henry Morton Stanley named it the Beatrice Gulf when he first saw it in 1875 thinking it was part of Mwitazigye, which Baker had already named Albert. He rediscovered it (Dweru) in 1888 and realizing it was separate from Mwitazigye (Albert), named it George.
Idi Amin's December 1972 decree also renamed many roads and streets in Kampala. Notably, he renamed Prince Charles Drive 25 January Avenue (commemorating the date of his coup); Queen's Road became Lumumba Avenue.
Interesting that Lumumba Avenue retained the new name given to it by Amin while Prince Charles Drive was recovered and the January 25 Avenue relegated to the dustbin of history, as it were. So, the UNLF folks approved some of Amin's new names for the roads, and not others.
In the list of the roads whose new names stuck, are Nkrumah Road (former Salisbury road) Nasser Road (former Rosebury road) Luthuli Avenue (former Hunter road) Malcolm X Avenue (former Borup Avenue) Kimathi Avenue (former Harcourt Avenue) Akiibua Road (former Stanley road) etc
Amin also changed the names of Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls to Rwenzori National Park and Kabalega Falls. His new names for these were rejected and the old colonial names reinstated by the said UNLF government.
Find out more about Idi Amin's renaming decree in this @DailyMonitor article from 2017 by Faustin Mugabe. https://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/PeoplePower/Amin-lakes-roads-mountain-decolonise--Uganda/689844-4202484-7eqnvb/index.html
Meanwhile, the petition to rename roads, streets and landmarks, spearheaded by Owek. @ANMakubuya was handed to the Speaker of Parliament of Uganda, the other day. It has been signed by over 5000 individuals. https://www.change.org/p/president-museveni-petition-to-decolonise-and-rename-streets-in-kampala-and-other-landmarks-in-uganda/u/27114175?recruiter=1113308715&recruited_by_id=bd755a50-a9b9-11ea-bc7b-59b37bd206d0
