Letter from Kampala: The ghost of Idi Amin is stalking the city of Kampala. It was here, 30 years ago, that his giant physical frame inspired terror and awe in equal measures, writes Rob Crilly
Now he is managing to provoke similar emotions from beyond the grave.
For while The Last King of Scotland has opened to rave reviews and Oscar nominations elsewhere in the world, it is more than just a thriller to the people of Uganda: it is a piece of history that many would rather forget.
Like many people, David Makudumira (51) has his own Amin experience to tell.
He was beaten by the dictator's secret police during a student demonstration. Some of his comrades were never seen again.
"People at first thought Amin was a change for the better. But he wasn't. Things got worse very quickly," he said on Saturday after a star-studded premiere at Uganda's biggest cinema. "The film is basically right about that."
Amin seized power in the former British colony in 1971 and soon earned a reputation as the most fearsome of Africa's "big men" rulers.
He expelled the country's large population of Asians and more than 500,000 people simply "disappeared" during his eight-year rule.
At first, people welcomed him to power, anxious to forget the bloody regime of Milton Obote, but they soon realised that they were saddled with another monster as Amin's behaviour became increasingly bizarre.
Much of his hatred was directed at Uganda's old colonial masters - the British, who had ironically helped him to power - yet he never lost his fondness for the Scots, viewing them as allies against the English.
The film, based on a novel by Giles Foden, follows the fictional relationship between Amin, played by Forest Whitaker, and a doctor played by rising Scottish star James McAvoy.
Flattered at first by the attentions of the president, the young Scot finds himself sucked deeper into bloodshed. Whitaker is favourite to win the best actor Oscar at the Academy Awards ceremony this weekend.
But the film deals with painful subject matter for many Ugandans.
Amin's family has threatened to take legal action over Whitaker's uncompromising portrayal of a dictator spiralling out of control.
And other Ugandans warned it might open old wounds in a country still riven by civil war and tribal rivalries.
But if the first audience streaming out of the Cineplex moviehouse is anything to go by, Uganda is relishing the chance to pick over Amin's legacy.
Whitaker, McAvoy and Yoweri Museveni, Uganda's president, were among those who attended the premiere.
McAvoy, who dressed in a kilt for the screening, said the film had struck a nerve. "There were some problems with the sound but they seemed to get it," he said. "There were a lot of tears in the audience.
"The film could always have been viewed as another film about the white man in Africa - although in this case the white man is a bastard - but they seemed to understand this was a multi-faceted, intelligent portrayal of a complicated man like Amin."
Azim Kara, whose family were among the thousands of Asians forced to flee, said it helped people understand the motivation behind the man.
"When he came into power we thought he was a good chap, but as time went on he went nuts.
"He became greedy and forced people like us out, giving our shops to the army and his friends," he said. "It was a very accurate portrayal. It went straight to the point."
Many said the country had moved on from the dark days of Amin and the time was right for a fresh look at events of the 1970s. It would also help educate those too young to remember Amin about the corrupting effect of absolute power.
Today, Kampala is a bustling capital where coffee shops boast wireless internet access.
Young backpackers use the city as a base for Nile rafting trips or gorilla-viewing safaris.
The old state-owned Nile Hotel, where dissidents would disappear into the basement to be tortured or killed, reopened last year as a luxury tourist resort.
On the other hand, President Museveni - once hailed as a new brand of African leader - has attracted widespread anger for removing presidential term limits. His supporters stand accused of rigging elections in an attempt to cling on to power.