With no hesitation, I believe 2020 qualifies as an ‘Annus Horribilis’

I have no hesitation in calling the year 2020 an ‘Annus Horrilibilis’. Simply put it was indeed been a horrible year.

This phrase has its basis in the year 1992. That was the year when the Queen of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II, described the year as such.

This term has its origins in Latin. In that language, it is a phrase meaning a ‘horrible year’. It is a phrase complementary to another phrase ‘Annus Mirabilis’ which simply means a ‘wonderful year’ of miracles.

The phrase was first used in 1891 in an Anglican Church publication to describe 1870, the year in which the Roman Catholic Church defined the dogma of ‘papal infallibility.’

The Queen in her annual speech in 1992 stated thus: “1992 is not a year on which I look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of my more sympathetic correspondent, it has turned out to be an ‘annus horribilis.’”

The ‘sympathetic correspondent’ was later revealed to be the Queen’s former assistant private secretary, Sir Edward Ford.

The events that led to the Queen calling 1992 an ‘annus horribilis’ included the separation of the Queen’s daughter Anne, Princess Royal from her hubby, Captain Mark Phillips, in April that year.

Then there was the death by suicide of the Queen’s nephew, Prince Albretcht of Hohenhohe-Langenburg on April 23, 1992.

Also, there was the publication of Diana’s tell-all-book ‘Her True Story’ revealing the problems in her marriage to the Queen’s eldest son, Charles (Prince of Wales) - particularly the latter’s affair with Camilla Parker -Bowles.

Also in the ‘horribilis’ lineup was the publication of intimate conversations between Princess Diana and James Gilbey from a recording of their phone calls.

The pelting of the Queen with eggs by angry demonstrators in Dresden during a state visit in October was another horrible thing. Then there was the fire in Windsor Castle, one of the Queen’s official residences.

Actually, even after the Queen’s speech, there was another horrible event: separation of the Queen’s son, Prince Charles, from his wife Diana. It was not only the Queen who used the ‘annus horribilis’ phrase. The late Koffi Annan, a former UN Secretary General, also used the phrase in his annual end-of-the-year press conference in 2004.

“There is no doubt that this has been a particularly difficult year, and I am relieved that this ‘annus horribilis’ is coming to an end.”

Annan’s remarks were widely interpreted as having alluded to persistent allegations of corruption in the Iraq/UN oil-for-food programme.

Even in 2007, the Spanish Royal Family - in particular: King Juan Carlos - faced a difficult year. A family tragedy and a series of controversies led to Spanish newspapers referring to the year as the King’s ‘annus horribilis’.

Now, let’s take my case: I was earlier this year forced to decamp from the cosmopolitan Arusha to the remote and backward Tanilingwabati Village in the newly-established Wanging’ombe District, Njombe Region.

This was on account of the arrival of the new coronavirus pandemic from somewhere in Chairman Mao’s China. Untold numbers of people have died from the pandemic worldwide.

In Tanilingwabati, I have been forced to join my farming tribe with all its attendant challenges, including special seeds, fertilizers and anti-pests inputs, all costing a fortune - and I haven’t the money.

As if this were not bad enough, here comes someone, Donald Trump, old by all standards, who rose to fame through his ‘You are Fired’ TV programme - and became the President of the United States, a country we are told upholds the highest democratic standards.

And, you know what...? Trump lost reelection on November 3, 2020, to another elderly guy, Joe Biden, but would not accept the results.

The whole world is presently worried. National economies are wobbling. And I thought this was strictly reserved for African tyrants in some typical banana republic.

This, coming from the world’s powerhouse, home of the free and land of the brave... I can only say that year 2020 was indeed an annus horribilis.

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The author is a veteran journalist and communication expert based in Arusha.