By MARK OLOO

Mention the famous quote "Uganda is for Ugandans" from the movie Rise and Fall of Idi Amin and Joseph Olita will turn around and give you a knowing look.

Utter the line "I am the conqueror of the British empire and the world’s strongest general. If anybody plays around, I will take them to the moon" and it will be dÈj‡ vu for the lead actor in the world famous movie.

Apart from starring in the movie Rise and Fall of Idi Amin, Joseph Olita also has an up to date knowledge of events during Amin’s reign.

His mastery of Uganda’s history, the bloody struggle for independence and the chronology of happenings that led to the infamous Entebbe raid of 1976, often leave his audience baffled.

To date, his popularity stemming from his lead role in the movie, which chronicles Amin’s tyrannical rule from 1971 to his overthrow in 1979, still remains.

"I have never stopped cherishing the enormity of the role I played in the Amin movie," the veteran actor with a trademark shinny dark face and heavily built frame, which suited him as Idi Amin in the movie, tells The Standard On Saturday.

Mr Olita, who many people would not fail to identify at first sight, says he derives a lot of satisfaction from the fact he was the lead character in the movie.

"I may not have been handsomely rewarded for my role in the movie but I pride in having played Idi Amin and making the very best out of it," says Olita.

He enjoys wide following on Twitter and other social sites, with Internet search engines delivering close to a million results on his name in a single hit.

He says he is proud of the 1980 production, having done a memorable if not comparable role to Amin, the Ugandan leader famed for mass murders, detentions, deportation of foreigners and eating of rivals’ flesh.

During Amin’s eight-year hold onto power, an estimated 500,000 people were killed for alleged belligerence.

Returning home from a health club in Buru Buru estate, Nairobi, Olita makes intermittent stops to acknowledge greetings from fans. His strong personality and gifted mimicry never escape the public’s attention.

The movie star is now set to premier in a local television series, whose details he says have been finalised.

"The TV series will run for three years. I am not willing to discuss the finer details for now due to various reasons but I can assure you the production will be one of its kind," Olita asserts.

Together with a team of producers, Olita is also finalising production logistics for Simbi Nyaima, a movie based on a famous and incisive Luo folklore. He will be the main actor.

His fame as a result of the commercial success of Rise and Fall of Idi Amin has also seen him premier in eight other high-profile productions. They include Mississippi Masala, Sheeria queen of the jungle, African black hunter, Black forest clinic and The captain of Nakara among others.

Olita narrates details on how the film was put together as if it was shot yesterday. As he meets his guests this particular Monday afternoon in Buru Buru estate, the actor recalls how the movie stirred controversy in political circles.

He recalls the nervousness with which the Government responded to calls to have movies on the Uganda revolution shot in Kenya.

"Jitters in Government made us call off an initial plan to shoot a movie here in Kenya to showcase the Entebbe raid of 1976 when Israeli commandos made an offensive to rescue their citizens taken into Uganda on a hijacked plane," he remembers.

He recounts the strained relationship between Kampala and Nairobi made State operatives to scuttle plans to shoot a movie on the Entebbe incident in Nairobi to avoid altercations with Amin and his cronies, who had laid claim to Kenyan land up to Naivasha.

"We never knew the veracity of the matter until security officers raided our dwellings and burnt down a script we had prepared for a movie on the Entebbe raid," Olita adds. Three different films were later shot on the Entebbe incident by movie stars from Europe.

The producers, he says, were reluctant to shoot the movie in Uganda due to threats of attacks by Amin’s cronies.

Olita says when Amin overthrew President Milton Obote in 1971, he took over a country whose economy needed resuscitation but his ruthless modus operandi divided opinion, as did his military antics and browbeat command prowess. Amin adored Adolf Hitler of Germany and was regarded a Hitler of Africa.

"He was characteristically different and never spared his rivals. At times, he kept their heads in a freezer and bullied everyone around, especially those deemed to be Obote sympathisers," says Olita, his bold eyes darting from one corner to another.

He says his resemblance to Amin qualified him to star in the movie. He beat 48 other actors who had been auditioned for the same role.

Twin Continental of UK and Film Corporation of Kenya co-produced the movie, while 20th Century Fox took over its distribution. The Amin film was shown in major theatres across the world, furthering debate on Amin and his activities.

Olita, 67, is a family man and comes from Kogello in Nyanza. The star, who went to Bar Ding and St Mary’s Yala schools in Nyanza, is today involved in community work at his Alego home.