BOKASSA THE FIRST, AN AFRICAN EMPEROR

A story of blood and megalomania

Synopsis

Jean-Bedel Bokassa, a former captain of the French army, became Bokassa Emperor of the Central African Republic after a lavish and indecent coronation applauded by France.

Was this man, who was the first in Africa to appoint a woman Prime Minister, anything but a sinister and bloodthirsty puppet? Without rehabilitating the dictator, this film takes a more nuanced appproach with new testimonies. The man who was accused of cannibalism could sometimes be generous and human, but more often ridiculous, cruel and whimsical.

Jean-Bedel Bokassa is above all an extreme illustration of the excesses of the post-colonial relationship between France and its former African possessions.