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Julius Nyerere | |
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| Born | 13 April 1922 Butiama, Tanganyika Territory |
| Died | 14 October 1999 London, England, UK |
| Political orientation | African socialism Ujamaa |
| Political party | TANU |
Julius Kambarage Nyerere (13 April 1922 – 14 October 1999) was a Tanzanian politician who served as Prime Minister of Tanganyika from 1961 until 1964. In 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to form the United Republic of Tanzania, and Nyerere became Tanzania's first president from 1964 to 1985. Nyerere is often referred to as Mwalimu, meaning "teacher" in Swahili.[1]
Nyerere promoted socialist policies, especially promoting the concept of ujamaa, and was a prominent figure in the Non-Aligned Movement.[2] He was also a supporter of policies promoting African unity and during his administration a number of organizations and individuals associated with African liberation movements were hosted in Tanzania.[3] In 1985, Nyerere stepped down from the presidency but remained the chair of the Party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) until 1990.[4] In 1987 he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize.[3] Nyerere passed away from leukemia in 1999.[5]
Life
Early life and education
Nyerere was born on April 13, 1922 in Butiama village. His father was Chief Nyerere Burito of the Zanaki ethnic group and his mother Christina was the fifth of the chief's 22 wives. Nyerere studied at Mwisinge Primary School, a 26 mile daily walk from home to school. He also studied at the Catholic Mission Secondary School of St Mary's, Tabora. He attained a diploma in education in 1946 from Makerere University College in Uganda, then returned to teach in Tabora. In 1949 he became the first Tanganyikan student to be sent to Edinburgh University, graduating in 1952 with an MA in history and economics.[5]
British author and Labour Party politician John Charles Hatch, who first met Nyerere while he was a student in Scotland in 1950 described Nyerere as "contemplative" and "introverted" and "never strident or dogmatic". Hatch, who met Nyerere several more times over the years, wrote that in his observation, Nyerere "has never deviated from the personality I first knew as a student; his single-minded but humble concern has been for the welfare of his fellow countrymen and for their place in the world."[6]
Independence movement
Presidency
Nyerere announced the Arusha Declaration in 1967, expressing Tanganyika African National Union (TANU)'s policy of building a socialist state.[7] Historian Vijay Prashad notes that this announcement "discomforted" the British imperialists and Tanzanian bourgeoisie, the "owners and managers of most of the country's resources" including mines and the land, and that, "Hemmed in by pressures from the advanced industrial states, the aristocratic rural classes, and the emergent mercantile classes, the new state had little time" to pursue the necessary institutional changes envisioned in TANU's policies for socialist construction. Under Nyerere's administration, collectivization programs were organized that sent peasants to ujamaa villages, sometimes relying on coercion by the military.[7]
Later life
After stepping down from the presidency, Nyerere remained chairman of CCM from 1985 to 1990. After his retirement, he moved back to his home village of Butiama. In retirement, Nyerere continued to advocate for countries of the global south, travelling and meeting with world leaders. In 1991, he established the South Centre in Geneva, an intergovernmental organization focused on Third World development strategies. He also served as the UN’s chief facilitator for the Burundi peace negotiations between 1994 and 1999.[5] Nyerere passed away from leukemia in a London hospital on October 14, 1999[3] and was buried at Butiama.[5]
Views
Works
Throughout his political career, Nyerere delivered many speeches and interviews in addition to producing and contributing to various written works in both English and Swahili. The 1968 book Ujamaa - Essays on Socialism (Swahili version titled Ujamaa) collects various speeches and writings by Nyerere (and TANU) spanning from 1962 to 1968.[8] Other collections include Freedom and Unity (Uhuru na Umoja), selected writings and speeches from 1952-65; Freedom and Socialism (Uhuru na Ujamaa), selected writings and speeches from 1965-67; Freedom and Development (Uhuru na Maendeleo), selected writings and speeches from 1968-73; and Man and Development (Binadamu na Maendeleo), published 1974.[9] Nyerere also published Swahili translations of Shakespeare works, Julius Caeser (Swahili: Juliasi Kaizari) and The Merchant of Venice (Swahili: Mabepari wa Venisi).[9]
Library works
References
- ↑ CGTN Africa (2013-12-31). "Faces Of Africa - Mwalimu Julius Nyerere". YouTube.
- ↑ "The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)". Julius Nyerere Leadership Centre. Archived from the original on 2024-03-02.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere - Biography." JuliusNyerere.org. Archived 2024-07-04.
- ↑ "Biography : Julius Kambarage Nyerere". Marxists.org. Archived from the original on 2024-03-24.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Chambi Chachage and Annar Cassam (2010). Africa's Liberation: The Legacy of Nyerere: 'A short biography of Julius Nyerere (by Madaraka Nyerere)'. Pambazuka Press.
- ↑ John Hatch (1972). Tanzania: A Profile: 'Introduction'. New York: Praeger Publishers.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Vijay Prashad (2008). The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World: 'Arusha' (pp. 191–6). [PDF] The New Press. ISBN 9781595583420 [LG]
- ↑ Nyerere, Julius K. (1968). Ujamaa - Essays on Socialism. Dar es Salaam: Oxford University Press.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Nyerere, Julius K. (1974). Man and Development | Binadamu na Maendeleo: 'Other Books by the Author'. Oxford University Press.