Was Bokassa Really a Cannibal Emperor?

Introduction

The image of Jean-Bédel Bokassa as the “Cannibal Emperor” is one of the most famous and enduring stories associated with the Central African Republic. It is also a case where a widely repeated allegation became more famous than the evidence supporting it. Bokassa was unquestionably a brutal ruler. He was linked to murders, torture, arbitrary arrests and the killing of protesting schoolchildren. Yet the specific claim that he regularly ate human flesh was never proved in court, despite becoming the defining label attached to his name.[Los Angeles Times]latimes.comAdvertisement. The court did not setLos Angeles TimesBokassa Guilty; Death Sentence for Ex-Emperor13 Jun 1987 — It acquitted him of cannibalism and stealing the jewels used…

This makes the story an important example of how a reputation can grow from a mixture of documented crimes, witness testimony, rumours, political conflict and sensational media coverage. The question is not whether Bokassa committed atrocities—courts and historical research leave little doubt that he did—but whether the most notorious accusation of all was ever established.

Was Bokassa Really a Cannibal Emperor?

The short answer is that no court ever proved that Bokassa practised cannibalism.

After his overthrow in 1979, stories spread rapidly that human remains had been found in refrigerators and cold-storage rooms at his residences. Former president David Dacko claimed to have seen photographs showing butchered bodies hanging in palace freezers. Other witnesses alleged that body parts had been discovered after the regime collapsed. Some accounts even claimed that human flesh had been served at official functions.[latimes.com]latimes.comLos Angeles TimesEx-Emperor's Reign of Terror Relived: Bokassa Trial15 Mar 1987 — Ex-Emperor's Reign of Terror Relived: Bokassa Trial…

These allegations fitted the image many observers already had of Bokassa. By the late 1970s he had transformed himself from military ruler into self-proclaimed emperor, spent enormous sums on a lavish coronation and become notorious for violent repression. Because many shocking stories about him turned out to be true, even more extreme accusations seemed plausible.[ADST]adst.orgJean Bédel Bokassa: The Man who Would be EmperorJean Bédel Bokassa ruled as President-for-life and later as Emperor of the Central Af…

However, plausibility is not proof. The surviving evidence never reached the standard required to establish that Bokassa had actually consumed human flesh or organised killings for that purpose.

How the Cannibalism Claims Began

The allegations emerged most strongly after Bokassa was removed from power in September 1979.

French-backed forces restored former president David Dacko while Bokassa was abroad. In the aftermath, investigators, officials and journalists searched former imperial properties. Reports circulated of body parts, human remains and suspicious material found in refrigerators and storage areas. The discoveries coincided with revelations about other crimes of the regime, particularly the killing of schoolchildren arrested after protests against compulsory school uniforms.[The Washington Post]washingtonpost.comOn trial in 1987, the ex-emperor was accused of cannibalism, torture, killing army…Read more…

Several factors helped the cannibalism story spread:

Within a few years, the cannibal allegation had become inseparable from Bokassa’s international image.

What Witnesses and the Trial Established

The strongest test of the allegation came during Bokassa’s long trial in Bangui after he returned from exile in 1986.

Prosecutors presented a wide range of charges, including murder, torture, embezzlement and cannibalism. Witnesses offered disturbing testimony. Former associates described alleged discoveries of human remains. One of Bokassa’s former cooks reportedly claimed that he had prepared human flesh taken from palace freezers. These accounts received extensive international attention.[Los Angeles Times]latimes.comLos Angeles TimesEx-Emperor's Reign of Terror Relived: Bokassa Trial15 Mar 1987 — Ex-Emperor's Reign of Terror Relived: Bokassa Trial…

Yet the trial also revealed major weaknesses in the evidence.

Some witnesses contradicted one another. A former government minister testified that he had found no bodies in Bokassa’s refrigerator. Defence lawyers challenged the reliability of the stories and argued that rumours had become accepted as fact through repetition. Bokassa himself denied the accusations, declaring in court, “I am not a cannibal.”[UPI]upi.comBokassa testifies: 'I am not a cannibalBokassa testifies: 'I am not a cannibal

When the verdict arrived in June 1987, the judges convicted Bokassa of serious crimes including murder and embezzlement. They did not convict him of cannibalism. Contemporary reports stated that he was acquitted of those charges, with courts finding the evidence insufficient. Other reports noted that legal complications involving a previous amnesty also affected consideration of certain allegations. Whatever the procedural details, the result was the same: the court did not establish that Bokassa was guilty of cannibalism.[latimes.com]latimes.comAdvertisement. The court did not setLos Angeles TimesBokassa Guilty; Death Sentence for Ex-Emperor13 Jun 1987 — It acquitted him of cannibalism and stealing the jewels used…

Why the Allegation Outlived the Verdict

The acquittal did little to change public memory.

One reason is that cannibalism is far more memorable than financial crimes or even political murder. A ruler accused of eating his victims becomes a symbol of ultimate monstrosity. Once that image took hold, later corrections attracted far less attention than the original stories.

Another reason is that the allegation was attached to a man who genuinely committed other grave abuses. People often assume that if someone was capable of documented atrocities, then the most extreme accusation must also be true. Historical evidence does not work that way. Each claim requires its own proof.[Los Angeles Times]latimes.comAdvertisement. The court did not setLos Angeles TimesBokassa Guilty; Death Sentence for Ex-Emperor13 Jun 1987 — It acquitted him of cannibalism and stealing the jewels used…

The story also intersected with older colonial-era stereotypes. Historians of Africa have long noted that accusations of cannibalism were frequently used by colonial writers and propagandists to portray African societies as savage or uncivilised. That does not automatically make every accusation false, but it does mean such claims require especially careful scrutiny.[AfricaBib]africabib.orgOpen source on africabib.org.

As a result, the “Cannibal Emperor” label survived because it was emotionally powerful, culturally familiar and easy to repeat, even though the legal record was far more ambiguous.

A Legend Built on a Real Tyranny

The most accurate way to understand the Bokassa cannibalism story is neither to dismiss it entirely nor to treat it as established fact.

There were witnesses, allegations and reports of disturbing discoveries after the fall of the regime. Those claims were serious enough to appear in court and have continued to be debated by historians. At the same time, the evidence failed to produce a conviction, and many of the most sensational versions of the story—such as claims that foreign guests were unknowingly served human flesh—remain unsupported by reliable proof.[latimes.com]latimes.comLos Angeles TimesEx-Emperor's Reign of Terror Relived: Bokassa Trial15 Mar 1987 — Ex-Emperor's Reign of Terror Relived: Bokassa Trial…

What survives today is a legend attached to a real dictatorship. Bokassa’s brutality was documented and punished. His alleged cannibalism became famous worldwide. The first is established history; the second remains an accusation that achieved greater fame than the evidence behind it.[latimes.com]latimes.comAdvertisement. The court did not setLos Angeles TimesBokassa Guilty; Death Sentence for Ex-Emperor13 Jun 1987 — It acquitted him of cannibalism and stealing the jewels used…

Amazon book picks

Further Reading

Books and field guides related to Was Bokassa Really a Cannibal Emperor?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.

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Dark Age

By Brian Titley

Examines Bokassa's rule and the origins of his enduring reputation.

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The Fate of Africa

By Martin Meredith

Places Bokassa within wider African postcolonial politics.

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In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster...

By Michela Wrong

Shows how sensational reputations and brutal regimes become intertwined.

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King Leopold's Ghost

By Adam Hochschild

Explores how atrocity narratives and Central African history interact.

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Browse more on Amazon:Dark AgeThe Fate of AfricaIn the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in the Congo (Text Only)

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Endnotes

1. Source: adst.org
Link:https://adst.org/2014/06/the-man-who-would-be-emperor/

2. Source: time.com
Title: exiles the emperor goes on trial
Link:https://time.com/archive/6707891/exiles-the-emperor-goes-on-trial/

3. Source: upi.com
Title: Bokassa testifies: ‘I am not a cannibal’
Link:https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/03/02/Bokassa-testifies-I-am-not-a-cannibal/2158541659600/

4. Source: upi.com
Title: Bokassa receives death sentence
Link:https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/06/12/Bokassa-receives-death-sentence/8468550468800/

5. Source: artsandculture.google.com
Link:https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/jean-b%C3%A9del-bokassa/m0n1gb?hl=en

6. Source: africabib.org
Link:https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=26163688X

7. Source: upi.com
Title: Bokassa convicted and sentenced to death
Link:https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/06/13/Bokassa-convicted-and-sentenced-to-death/1268550555200/

8. Source: latimes.com
Title: Advertisement. The court did not set
Link:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-13-mn-6870-story.html

9. Source: washingtonpost.com
Title: After conferring with Bokassa, his lawyer, Francis Szpiner
Link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/06/13/bokassa-sentenced-to-die-for-murders-during-reign/047f7cd6-e62f-49c0-afcf-6fea3e30b3bf/

10. Source: latimes.com
Link:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-15-mn-10897-story.html

11. Source: washingtonpost.com
Link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/democracy-post/wp/2017/06/22/in-the-central-african-republic-nostalgia-for-a-leader-who-is-said-to-have-fed-his-critics-to-the-crocodiles/

12. Source: latimes.com
Title: la xpm 1987 03 03 mn 7501 story
Link:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-03-mn-7501-story.html

13. Source: latimes.com
Title: la xpm 1987 06 12 mn 4063 story
Link:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-12-mn-4063-story.html

14. Source: latimes.com
Title: la xpm 1996 11 05 mn 61484 story
Link:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-05-mn-61484-story.html

15. Source: washingtonpost.com
Link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/national/1980/12/20/exemperor-bokassa-on-trial/5fd7dd6d-d612-41ce-b03b-adc4b4604f91/

16. Source: panarmenian.net
Link:https://panarmenian.net/m/eng/details/240580

Additional References

17. Source: reddit.com
Title: central african dictator jeanbedel bokassa his
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/1nh22yd/central_african_dictator_jeanbedel_bokassa_his/

18. Source: youtube.com
Title: The Craziest Dictator You’ve Never Heard of | Jean-Bédel Bokassa
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoY1a-U5HjM

19. Source: youtube.com
Title: Jean-Bédel Bokassa: Africa’s Craziest Dictator who Crowned Himself Emperor
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaZTmTEiLck

20. Source: academia.edu
Link:https://www.academia.edu/85273463/Thinking_About_Cannibalism

21. Source: huxley.media
Link:https://huxley.media/en/10-laws-of-tyranny-jean-bedel-bokassa-of-central-africa/

22. Source: noiser.com
Link:https://www.noiser.com/real-dictators/jean-bedel-bokassa-part-1-the-butcher-of-bangui

23. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/standardkenya/posts/uncover-the-darkest-secrets-the-nairobians-latest-issue-is-on-stands-featuring-t/1182289877274147/

24. Source: spectator.com
Link:https://spectator.com/article/discover-who-wrote-the-catchy-music-for-the-coronation-of-the-cannibal-emperor-bokassa/

25. Source: youtube.com
Title: African Emperor: Jean-Bédel Bokassa, part 2
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fKbaxZLjco

26. Source: reddit.com
Title: jean bedel bokassa is sentenced to death in 1987
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/AfricanHistory/comments/vaih81/jean_bedel_bokassa_is_sentenced_to_death_in_1987/