When crazy stuff is happening in a country, why do the outsourced stamp makers bother with Charles Lindbergh. Talk about a lost opportunity, So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
This is surprisingly a real stamp. It was an issue of aviation pioneers that have some French connection. So here we have Charles Lindbergh’s plane The Spirit of Saint Louis landing in Paris having crossed the Atlantic. What does that from 50 years before have to do with the Central African Empire?
Todays stamp is issue A96, a 50 Franc stamp issued by the Central African Empire on September 30th, 1977. It was a five stamp issue in various denominations that was also available as a souvenir sheet. according to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents cancelled to order. The souvenir sheet is worth $6 unless you let them cancel it which sends the value down to $2.
The Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa was formed in 1949 during the French Colonial Period. It had offices in Ubangui in the then Ubangi Chari colony, Brazzaville in the French Congo and Fort Lamy in Chad. It’s goal was to unite all the black people of the world and replace racism, tribalism, and colonialism with cooperation and fraternity. So get rid of the French but do it in a way modeled on the French Revolution. The Party won a majority in the elections at the end of the colonial period and took power as Ubangi Chari became the Central African Republic.
Right before the ascending to power, the movements leader Barthelemy Boganda died in a suspicious plane crash that many in the country blame on his white wife. Wives usually use poison. Anyway the movement found a new leader and nephew named David Draco who proved ineffectual. The country had some potential as the population was small but the country was well endowed with diamonds. Foolishly the movement sought fraternity with the Israelis to handle the diamonds and so that was where the profits went.
The movement was not satisfied and so supported the coup of Cornel Bokassa, the commander of the 500 man Army. The Movement was not having much luck achieving fraternity and cooperation in the country. Bokassa had a plan though. At a Movement meeting, he was declared Emperor Bokassa I and the Central African Republic became the Central African Empire. There followed an expensive Coronation modeled on Napoleons’.
This was the time of Amin in Uganda and the fellow in Equatorial Guinea who changed his title to the “Unique Miracle” so Africa was turning into a bad joke. The French were getting nervous at what was happening. In 1979 there was a riot at an important school in Bangui. The students resented having to buy expensive uniforms with Emporer Bokassa’s image on them and sold by a company owned by Her Imperial Majesty one of Bokassa’s 15 wives/Empresses. After rocks were thrown at the Emperor’s Rolls Royce many of the children were arrested. Here the story gets a little rough and unproven. Some of the children were beaten to death and then had their flesh consumed by the Emperor in the Palace. Soon the French launched Operation Barracuda that landed French troops flown in from Chad and Gabon and bloodlessly reinstalled former President Draco. Bokassa went into exile in Gabon. The Movement for the Social Liberation of Black Africa was disbanded a few months later.
The Central African Republic is still a sad and poor place. They have not completely given up bad habits though. Emperor Bokassa I’s son his Imperial Majesty Jean-Serge Bokassa is Interior Minister and has been a Presidential candidate.
Well my drink is empty. Come again tomorrow when there will be another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.