Word: mobutu
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Fight promoters would undoubtedly agree. Despite the five-week postponement of the fight, Gentleman Ali's charisma attracted enough closed-circuit TV viewers to recoup the $12 million invested in the bout-good news for Zaire's President Mobutu Sese Seko. who personally plowed $11.4 million into the match. Attendance at U.S. theaters, however, was far lower than hoped for, and the gross take will fall far short of the $40 million goal. The fighters' purses-$5 million each-were guaranteed in advance...
Excessive as it seems, this flamboyant life-style and mandatory adulation are not necessarily all an egregious ego trip. By making himself the center of a national personality cult, Mobutu has succeeded in forging an unprecedented degree of unity among the nearly 200 tribes speaking more than 75 different languages that make up the former Belgian Congo's population. In 1965 when Mobutu, then an army commander, led the bloodless coup that deposed President Joseph Kasavubu, the country had endured five disastrous years of anarchy, civil war and bloodshed. Although rich in natural resources, Zaire was totally unequipped...
...potential, and Gulf Oil has begun offshore production, which may satisfy the country's domestic fuel needs by the end of next year. The prospect of abundant power has prompted Reynolds Metals, among a number of other industrial giants, to express interest in investing. As a result of Mobutu's visit to Peking last year, Kinshasa now swarms with Chinese doctors and agricultural technicians. The Japanese have been asked to help build Zaire's first transnational railroad. The French and Belgians are planning a new deepwater port at Banana, Zaire's only direct sea outlet...
While zealously pursuing foreign capital, Mobutu has tried to purge his country of foreign customs. As part of his "authenticity" campaign, Mobutu changed the name of his country to Zaire (meaning river). He decreed that all Zaireans discard Christian names for African ones. Throbbing tom-toms replaced the 21-gun salute as official greeting for visiting heads of state. In what was perhaps a further attempt to consolidate his personal power, last summer Mobutu banned Santa Claus...
...restore dignity to a people demoralized by centuries of colonial rule. As one Western ambassador observed: "This was not a nation until he took over, only an amalgam of bickering regions and tribes. Now there is a national identity that never existed before. The masses don't begrudge Mobutu his luxurious lifestyle. In fact, they seem to take pride...