John Okello
Encyclopedia
John Gideon Okello was an East African revolutionary and the leader of the Zanzibar Revolution
in 1964. This revolution overthrew Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah
and led to the proclamation of Zanzibar
as a republic.
. He was orphaned at age eleven and grew up with other relatives. When he was fifteen, he left and set out on his own and found work in several places within East Africa
. At various times, Okello was a clerk, manservant, gardener, and in odd-jobs. He later went through training to become a bricklayer. He was arrested in Nairobi
, (Kenya
) for unclear reasons and was incarcerated for two years, during which time he became interested in revolutionary ideas.
There is some speculation that, at some point, Okello had a residence in Cuba
and was taught Communism by Fidel Castro
.
, where he tried to find work on one of the farms, but became a police officer instead. Okello joined the Afro-Shirazi Party of sheik Abeid Karume
. This party opposed the domineering position of the minority Arabs on the islands of Zanzibar
and Pemba.
The highly religious Okello was convinced he had been given orders in his dreams by God to break the powerful position of the Arabs and to found the revolutionary state on Zanzibar and Pemba. On the night before the “revolution”, Okello gave his men the order to kill all Arabs between 18 and 25 years of age, to spare pregnant and elderly women, and not to rape virgins.
, where the sultan
lived. Even though they were poorly armed, Okello and his men surprised the police force of Zanzibar and they took power.
During a speech on radio, Okello dubbed himself the "field marshal of Zanzibar and Pemba". He gave the sultan an order to kill his family and to kill himself afterwards; otherwise, Okello would do so himself. However, the sultan had already brought himself to safety later to be harboured in Britain. The prime minister and other ministers also managed to escape.
The coup led to the poorly-known massacre of between 5,000 and 20,000 Arabs, whose families had been living in Zanzibar for centuries, between January 18 and 20. Footage of the massacre can be seen in Gualtiero Jacopetti's
film Africa Addio
, a 1966 exemplar of the Mondo film genre.
, as president and leader of the (Arabic) Umma-(Massa) Party, sheik Abdulrahman Muhammad Babu as prime minister (later: vice-president). Both Karume and Babu had not been informed of the coup. Both residing in Tanganyika
, but returned to Zanzibar, where they were welcomed by Okello. However, neither Karume nor Babu wanted anything to do with him. Afterward, Okello appeared to be too unstable to play any role in government of the new country and was quietly sidelined from the political scene by Karume, who allowed him to retain his title of Field Marshal.
By 3 February Zanzibar was finally returning to normality and Karume had been accepted, almost unquestionably, as its president. Okello formed a paramilitary unit, known as the Freedom Military Force (FMF), from his own supporters which is known to have patrolled the streets and become involved with looting. In addition Okello's violent rhetoric, his thick and dialectic English pronunciations and Acholi tribal English accent- typical of Acholi from Northern Uganda, and his Christian beliefs alienated many in the largely moderate, Zanzibari and Muslim ASP. By March many of his FMF had been disarmed by Karume's supporters and an Umma Party militia. Okello was denied access to the country when he tried to return from a trip to the mainland and deported to Tanganyika and then to Kenya
before returning, destitute, to his native Uganda. He was officially removed from his post as Field Marshal on 11 March.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) was formed by the government in April and completed the disarmament of Okello's remaining FMF troops. On 26 April Karume announced that he had negotiated to enter into a union with Tanganyika to form the new country of Tanzania. Karume's reason for doing so may have been to prevent the radicals in the Umma Party from taking over the country or to reduce the possibility of increasing communist influence in East Africa. Despite this, many of the Umma Party's socialist policies on health, education and social welfare were adopted by the government.
in 1971 and vanished afterwards. In the book “Revolution on Zanzibar”, written by Don Petterson, it is more or less assumed that Idi Amin saw him as a threat (after Amin promoted himself Okello reportedly joked that "now Uganda has two field marshals") and had arranged his assassination. This remains speculative, however.
's 1972 film Aguirre, the Wrath of God
is named "Okello". In his commentary to the DVD version of the film, Herzog also says that the character of Aguirre himself was partly modelled on John Okello, with whom the director had been in contact (Okello had wanted Herzog to translate a book he had written). Herzog explains: "I chose the name Okello because I owe his craze, his hysteria, his atrocious fantasies quite a bit for this film".
Zanzibar Revolution
The Zanzibar Revolution by local African revolutionaries in 1964 overthrew the Sultan of Zanzibar and his mainly Arab government. An ethnically diverse state consisting of a number of islands off the east coast of Tanganyika, Zanzibar had been granted independence by Britain in 1963...
in 1964. This revolution overthrew Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah
Jamshid bin Abdullah of Zanzibar
Sayyid Sir Jamshid bin Abdullah Al Said GCMG, was the last Sultan of Zanzibar. He ruled Zanzibar from July 1, 1963 to January 12, 1964. On December 10, 1963, Zanzibar received its independence from the United Kingdom as a constitutional monarchy under Jamshid. This state of affairs was short...
and led to the proclamation of Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
as a republic.
Youth
Little is known of Okello's youth although he was baptized at age two and given the baptismal name of GideonGideon
Gideon was an Israelite judge who appears in the Book of JudgesGideon may also refer to:- Religion :* Gideon , a figure in the Book of Mormon* Gideons International, distributor of copies of the Bible- Media :...
. He was orphaned at age eleven and grew up with other relatives. When he was fifteen, he left and set out on his own and found work in several places within East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. At various times, Okello was a clerk, manservant, gardener, and in odd-jobs. He later went through training to become a bricklayer. He was arrested in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, (Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
) for unclear reasons and was incarcerated for two years, during which time he became interested in revolutionary ideas.
There is some speculation that, at some point, Okello had a residence in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and was taught Communism by Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
.
Police officer on Pemba
In 1959 Okello left for the island of PembaPemba, Tanzania
Pemba Island, known as "The Green Island" in Arabic , is an island forming part of the Zanzibar archipelago, lying off the east coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. It is situated about 50 kilometres to the north of the Unguja . In 1964 Zanzibar was united with the former colony of Tanganyika to...
, where he tried to find work on one of the farms, but became a police officer instead. Okello joined the Afro-Shirazi Party of sheik Abeid Karume
Abeid Karume
Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume , was the first President of Zanzibar. He obtained this title as a result of a popular revolution which lead to the deposing of the last Sultan in Zanzibar during...
. This party opposed the domineering position of the minority Arabs on the islands of Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
and Pemba.
Revolutionary
Okello left for Zanzibar in 1963, where he contacted the leaders of the Afro-Shirazi Youth League, the youth organisation of the Afro-Shirazi Party. The Youth League strived for a revolution in order to break the power of the Arabs. On Zanzibar, Okello was also a member of the Painters Union, being a house painter. In his free time he built up a small army of determined African nationalists. This army was required to hold themselves to the strict rules of Okello: sexual abstinence, no raw meat and no alcohol.The highly religious Okello was convinced he had been given orders in his dreams by God to break the powerful position of the Arabs and to found the revolutionary state on Zanzibar and Pemba. On the night before the “revolution”, Okello gave his men the order to kill all Arabs between 18 and 25 years of age, to spare pregnant and elderly women, and not to rape virgins.
Uprising
On January 12, 1964, with popular support from the island's oppressed native African majority, Okello and his men fought their way to the capital of Zanzibar, Stone TownStone Town
Stone Town also known as Mji Mkongwe is the old part of Zanzibar City, the main city of Zanzibar, in Tanzania, as opposed to Ng'ambo . It is located on the western coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago...
, where the sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
lived. Even though they were poorly armed, Okello and his men surprised the police force of Zanzibar and they took power.
During a speech on radio, Okello dubbed himself the "field marshal of Zanzibar and Pemba". He gave the sultan an order to kill his family and to kill himself afterwards; otherwise, Okello would do so himself. However, the sultan had already brought himself to safety later to be harboured in Britain. The prime minister and other ministers also managed to escape.
The coup led to the poorly-known massacre of between 5,000 and 20,000 Arabs, whose families had been living in Zanzibar for centuries, between January 18 and 20. Footage of the massacre can be seen in Gualtiero Jacopetti's
Gualtiero Jacopetti
Gualtiero Jacopetti was an Italian director of documentary films.He was born in Barga, in northern Tuscany...
film Africa Addio
Africa Addio
Africa Addio is a 1966 Italian documentary about the end of the colonial era in Africa. The film was released in a shorter format under the names "Africa Blood and Guts" in the USA and "Farewell Africa" in the UK...
, a 1966 exemplar of the Mondo film genre.
Shoved to the side
Okello created a Revolutionary Council and named the leader of the Afro-Shirazi Party, Abeid KarumeAbeid Karume
Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume , was the first President of Zanzibar. He obtained this title as a result of a popular revolution which lead to the deposing of the last Sultan in Zanzibar during...
, as president and leader of the (Arabic) Umma-(Massa) Party, sheik Abdulrahman Muhammad Babu as prime minister (later: vice-president). Both Karume and Babu had not been informed of the coup. Both residing in Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
, but returned to Zanzibar, where they were welcomed by Okello. However, neither Karume nor Babu wanted anything to do with him. Afterward, Okello appeared to be too unstable to play any role in government of the new country and was quietly sidelined from the political scene by Karume, who allowed him to retain his title of Field Marshal.
By 3 February Zanzibar was finally returning to normality and Karume had been accepted, almost unquestionably, as its president. Okello formed a paramilitary unit, known as the Freedom Military Force (FMF), from his own supporters which is known to have patrolled the streets and become involved with looting. In addition Okello's violent rhetoric, his thick and dialectic English pronunciations and Acholi tribal English accent- typical of Acholi from Northern Uganda, and his Christian beliefs alienated many in the largely moderate, Zanzibari and Muslim ASP. By March many of his FMF had been disarmed by Karume's supporters and an Umma Party militia. Okello was denied access to the country when he tried to return from a trip to the mainland and deported to Tanganyika and then to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
before returning, destitute, to his native Uganda. He was officially removed from his post as Field Marshal on 11 March.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) was formed by the government in April and completed the disarmament of Okello's remaining FMF troops. On 26 April Karume announced that he had negotiated to enter into a union with Tanganyika to form the new country of Tanzania. Karume's reason for doing so may have been to prevent the radicals in the Umma Party from taking over the country or to reduce the possibility of increasing communist influence in East Africa. Despite this, many of the Umma Party's socialist policies on health, education and social welfare were adopted by the government.
Speculations concerning his death
Okello then stayed in Kenya, in Congo-Kinshasa and in Uganda. He was incarcerated multiple times and was last seen with the Ugandan president Idi AminIdi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
in 1971 and vanished afterwards. In the book “Revolution on Zanzibar”, written by Don Petterson, it is more or less assumed that Idi Amin saw him as a threat (after Amin promoted himself Okello reportedly joked that "now Uganda has two field marshals") and had arranged his assassination. This remains speculative, however.
Cultural references to Okello
The black slave played by Edward Roland in Werner HerzogWerner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
's 1972 film Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Aguirre, the Wrath of God is a 1972 West German adventure film written and directed by Werner Herzog. Klaus Kinski stars in the title role. The soundtrack was composed and performed by German progressive/Krautrock band Popol Vuh...
is named "Okello". In his commentary to the DVD version of the film, Herzog also says that the character of Aguirre himself was partly modelled on John Okello, with whom the director had been in contact (Okello had wanted Herzog to translate a book he had written). Herzog explains: "I chose the name Okello because I owe his craze, his hysteria, his atrocious fantasies quite a bit for this film".