Dark Age : The Political Odyssey of Emperor Bokassa

This work recounts the turbulent political career of Jean-Bedel Bokassa, the flamboyant president-for-life and later emperor of the Central African Republic/Empire.

Brian Titley examines the myths and legends surrounding the man, probes their origins and veracity, and attempts to provide a more balanced perspective on this controversial and misunderstood figure. Following a lengthy career in the French army, Bokassa seized power in the Central African Republic in 1966.

His flamboyance and excesses soon became legendary. He was accused of cannibalism, feeding enemies to lions and crocodiles, and beating schoolchildren to death.

Bokassa's tendency for self-aggrandizement culminated in 1977 when he named himself emperor and orchestrated a coronation in the style of Napoleon's.

He was overthrown by French paratroopers in 1979 and went into exile, but returned to his homeland in 1985 to face a sensational trial. Titley interprets Bokassa's authoritarian and self-aggrandizing style as an attempt to legitimize his regime in a context devoid of indigenous political structures and explores the troubled relations between France and its former colonies.

Combining techniques of historical inquiry and investigative journalism, he has produced an account of a pivotal chapter in contemporary African history.