THE former Bedouin tribesman calls himself the “king of kings” in Africa and is quite possibly the only living being – and certainly the only leader – to wear an outfit with the map of Africa printed on it. Born in the Libyan desert and according to some sources, near the town of Sirte, Gaddafi exhibits a typical Bedouin background in terms of his dialect and mannerisms. The Bedouin have a rich oral tradition and Gaddafi is known to speak for three to four hours at a stretch. Add to that a disposition to surprise and the combination is confusing, explosive and portrays him as nothing short of a lunatic. In a speech in Addis Ababa, he attacked the Ethiopians for what he perceived as racism, accusing them of stuffing the bureaucracy of the African Union with anything but Arabs. “If you don't change your policy,” he said, “I will take Libya out of Africa and put it back into Europe”. As the leader of the “Green Revolution” and author of the (now) famed Green Book which outlines his political philosophy, Gaddafi has created a unique brand of his leadership. One that is impossible to emulate. Visually, it has been Gaddafi's dress sense that has been impossible to ignore. He has gone from wearing military uniform at international events to traditional African outfits in bold, eye-watering colors. Gaddafi's gaffes are legendary. He once said that the Americans and Europeans had “stolen” the “Cola plant” from Africa and established the PepsiCo and Coca-Cola companies with it. When US President Barack Obama was inaugurated as president, Gaddafi remarked that Obama is descended from an Arab tribe in Africa and his original name is “Abo Omama” ‘Omama' means turban in Arabic. In yet another rambling speech he said: “without the electricity that I provide to my people, they would watch television in the dark”. These days, videos parody Gaddafi's barely intelligible speeches, while cartoons and jokes – some verging on the macabre – proliferate on the web, caricaturing Libya's ruler of 41 years as “mentally ill” or a “dangerous lunatic”. A Facebook page has been set up in Arabic under the name “Urgent: Al-Jazeera can't show Gaddafi's speech because the broadcast rights belong to MogaComedy”, an Egyptian satire channel. Mocking slogans abound on Facebook: “The people want to understand the speech!” and “The people want the president to undergo medical treatment!”. “We will start talks with the rebels once the drugs have worn off”, scoffs another of the dozens of Facebook pages dedicated to Mr Gaddafi. “Don't knock my madness, it's all I have”, “I built Libya, so it's mine to destroy”... the list goes on. However it is videos that are all the rage, watched by hundreds of thousands of people. One clip casts Gaddafi in the Looney Tunes cartoons as Ga-Daffy Duck, complete with fiery cackle. Other satirists have taken to direct impersonation, featuring a pseudo-Gaddafi in a cave, his head wrapped in a headscarf, long tunic and the inevitable sunglasses. He rants against imperialism and the Arabs in a flurry of gesticulations and shrugs, with only a chicken for an audience. The bird is visibly startled by the actor's screaming and table
