The shimmering white palace rises like a mirage from a palm tree grove in Berengo village. An empty airplane runway glistens in the midday heat next to vacant banqueting halls. A gargantuan statue of the former owner dominates the entrance, but the only sound today is the lapping of stagnant rainwater in the swimming pool. And then, of course, there are the kitchens, where chefs, according to their own trial testimony, roasted the great man's political opponents and sometimes served them to unsuspecting dignitaries.
Many residents still feel a tremor of fear when they pass by.
My brother was walking home one night past the palace grounds. He was taken inside. This is Palace Berengo, the living quarters of Emperor Jean-Bedel Bokassa, whose nightmarish rule over the Central African Republic lasted from 1966 until a coup ousted him in 1979. The palace today is owned by the state and desperately needs repair. But unlike the country's many other dilapidated structures, Berengo may be restored to its former ghoulish glory if Bokassa's 62 children get permission to transform it into a tourist attraction.