Did Nyerere's socialism failed ?
Posted April 8th, 2008 by mnyadi
Hello everyone,
Recently I have had an interest discussion with my Tanzania counterpart on the contribution of African Leaders precisely the Freedom fighters. Our discussion was mainly focus on the ideaology that existed in their minds and if it was of any value/assistance to today African welfare (econimically, politically and socio-cultural). My learner's coleague (Kamala) centred in not appreciating their efforts and he even went further by accussing them for being the main cause for failure of Africa development. As I have pointed out earlier, it is not my desire to change his perspective and infact I am in support of his ideas since he wishes to see the YOUTH OF TODAY liberited from old minds evenif their still workable.
Therefore, today I will present you the interview between the late Mwl. Nyerere and CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT (a journalist who based on finding Origin of Crisis): During this interview, one of the question she asked to Mwalimu Nyerere was on our discusssions;
Charlayne Hunter-Gault: "You mentioned the one-party rule in your country where you were president for four terms during which time you promoted the principle of "Ujamaa," socialism, and you have acknowledged that it was a miserable failure. What lessons, in retrospect, do you draw from that and the kind of economies that African countries might more profitably pursue?"
JULIUS NYERERE: "Where did you get the idea that I thought "Ujamaa" was a miserable failure?"
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Well, I read that you said socialism was failure; the country economically was in shambles at the end of the experiment.
JULIUS NYERERE: A bunch of countries were in economic shambles at the end of the 70s. They are not socialists. Now, today it needs so much courage to talk about socialism, therefore, perhaps we should change the phraseology, but you have to take in the values of socialism which we were trying to build in Tanzania in any society.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: And those values are what?
JULIUS NYERERE: And those values are values of justice, a respect for human beings, a development which is people-centered, development where you care about people you can say leave the development of a country to something called the market which has no heart at all since capitalism is completely ruthless, who is going to help the poor, and the majority of the people in our countries are poor. Who is going to stand for them? Not the market. So I'm not regretting that I tried to build a country based on those principles. You will have to--whether you call them socialism or not--do you realize that what made--what gave capitalism a human face was the kind of values I was trying to sell in my country.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: So what's the answer? Because, with all due respect, the economy of Tanzania did not thrive under the socialism that you practiced. So what is the--what do you see as the answer for African countries which are still predominantly poor?
JULIUS NYERERE: The problem is not a question of socialism. You have to deal with the problem of poverty. You have to deal with the problem of poverty in your country, and your country is not socialist, or we're in trouble. People in rich countries don't realize the responsibility of handling poverty in countries like mine. But those countries will develop. Countries in Africa are poor, both capitalists and socialists, and today we don't have a single one with these socialists.
The colonial legacy.
JULIUS NYERERE: Well, I'm saying some of the problems we are now handling in Africa, some of the mess we're trying to clean up in the continent we have inherited, the mess of the borders we have inherited.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: The colonials who--
JULIUS NYERERE: The colonial--
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: The colonial powers drew the borders.
JULIUS NYERERE: Yes. The colonial powers and some not colonial powers in Africa have supported regimes which are very corrupt on that continent. I think now they should stop backing up these corrupt regimes and let Africans in their own way try and establish regimes which can care about people. Some of the governments of the West, and including the United States, has really been very bad on our continent. They have used the Cold War and all sorts of things to back up a bunch of corrupted leaders on our continent. I think they should stop now and let the people of Africa sort out their own, their own future.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Does that include the leader of Zaire, Mobutu Seseseko?
JULIUS NYERERE: Well, I didn't say so.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Many people say so.
JULIUS NYERERE: When we have African problems, we, ourselves, have a duty to solve our problems. I think we must accept that. When you have African problems, we should try on our own to solve those problems. We would prefer the outside world to keep out. If we want help, we can seek for help. But do you realize sometimes we ask for help, and it doesn't come. On the 5th of last month our leaders met in Nairobi, and if said need an external--we need a force to go into Zaire to help the refugees to come back. It's not happening. And we appealed to the United Nations to establish that force, and we said we would also be participating in that force. Well, quite frankly, this is not happening. What is happening is a kind of self-help within Eastern Zaire, itself. And the refugees are going back. I hope--I think the lesson which Africa should draw from that is that they should rely upon themselves to the maximum when it comes to dealing with African problems.
it was not easy to defeat Nyerere when came to speach. yes there are goods nyerere did. but I think blunders are many like other African liberator. I dont think if these guys fought for independence or enjoyed the transformation from direct to indirect colonialism. I thing this needs a special feature which I will prepare soon.
but read this also:
Quote:
Field Marshall ES
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Mkuu Nyani,
Heshima mbele, I like kila ulichosema so far kwenye hii topic, now ngoja tujairbu kuchambua kidogo:-
1. After the mutiny, differences between Kambona and Nyerere began to appear. Nyerere wanted to introduce a one party system into Tanzania to strengthen state security. Kambona argued against the move claiming that it would inhibit people’s freedom and progress towards democracy. However, Kambona was defeated in parliament. He refused to sign the bill.
I mean right here, ndipo mambo yetu yalipoanza kwenda mrama as a nation, na ndio ninayoyasema kila siku, kumbuka kuwa to this point tulikuwa on the right track, kuaniza uchumi, uongozi, mpaka siasa, now look at the turn of events ambazo eventually, ndio zilizotufikisha tulipo!
2. In 1967 after a trip to China in 1965, Nyerere impressed with Mao’s style of communism, wanted to adopt the same system under the guise of Ujamaa. The main doctrine behind Ujamaa was the relocation of peasants into village communes and the nationalization of all industries and property. Kambona did not agree with the policies, arguing that they would rather increase poverty and state control over the people. He resigned from the Government and the party and later with his family fled to neighbouring Kenya and then UK were he was granted political asylum.
Tizama kiongozi aliyekuwa na uwezo wa kuona mbali, exactly his argument then ndio hasa yalipolalia matatizo yetu, kumbe walikuwepo wenye akili ya kuona mbele, I mean this is very interesting story, pumba na mchele uko clear upande gani?
3. Immediately thereafter, Kambona’s properties were confiscated. His two brothers Mattiya and Ottini Kambona were detained without trial and put in prison for over ten years. Other family members were harassed and detained. Some were falsely accused of plotting to overthrow the Tanzanian Government and were tried and imprisoned by the Government.
Wooow! Yaaani kweli haya mambo yalifanyika bongo under Mwalimu?
4. Most famous of these were Bibi Titi who fought alongside Nyerere in the independence movement and was head of the woman’s wing and also Michael Kamaliza, the former trade unionist and TANU member and government Minister. Other family members included Gray Mattaka, John and Elia Chipaka and Prisca Chiombola. Kambona was also accused of being the ring leader of the plotters while in London and was tried in absentia. The accused finally appealed to the East African High Court and were acquitted. Though they were later rounded up by the Tanzanian government and thrown into jail again.
5. Kambona was also accused of stealing millions of public funds,
6. Kambona challenged the Tanzanian government to request the Kenyan authorities to ’substantiate the allegations’’ which they never did.
7. In London Kambona led a tough life in exile under considerable financial constraints. However in 1982, his two brothers Mattiya and Otini Kambona were eventually released from detention after the intervention of New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon.
8. On returning to Tanzania Kambona found that the progress towards democracy was disappointingly slow.
9. His eldest son Mosi Kambona was murdered in London in unexplained circumstances.
found at: http://www.jamboforums.com/showthread.php?p=137427#post137427
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