Julius Nyerere Biography
Julius Nyerere (Julius Kambarage Nyerere) who was also known as Mwalimu Nyerere was born on 13th April 1922 in Butiama. He is a Tanzanian anti-colonial activist, Politician, and political theorist. He was the first president of Tanzania after its independence.
Julius Nyerere Early Life and Education Background
Julius Nyerere joined Native Administration School in Mwisenge, Musoma in February 1934 when he was 12 years and later transferred for his secondary education to the Tabora Government Secondary School. He joined Makerere University in Kampala where he trained as a teacher and graduated in 1947.
He later joined the University of Edinburgh to study history and political economy for his Master of Arts (he was the first Tanzanian to study at a British university and only the second to gain a university degree outside Africa)
Julius Nyerere Teaching
After gaining a certificate in teaching from Makerere University he taught Biology and English at St. Mary’s Secondary School in Tabora for three years before joining the University of Edinburgh.
After graduating from the University of Edinburgh in 1952 he came back to Tanzania and took a position teaching History, English, and Kiswahili, at St. Francis’ College (currently Pugu secondary school).
Julius Nyerere Politics
In 1953 Julius Nyerere was elected president of the Tanganyika African Association (TAA), a civic organization dominated by civil servants, that he had been involved with while a student at Makerere University. In 1954 he transformed TAA into the politically oriented Tanganyika African National Union (TANU). TANU’s main objective was to achieve national sovereignty for Tanganyika.
A campaign to register new members was launched, and within a year TANU had become the leading political organization in the country. TANU had been founded in 1954 by Julius Nyerere and Oscar Kambona. By the late 1950s, TANU had extended its influence throughout the country and gained considerable support.
In 1955 after he spoke before the UN Trusteeship Council he was asked to make a choice between teaching and political activities by the Colonial authorities. He was reported as saying that he was a
“schoolmaster by choice and a politician by accident”.
He resigned from teaching and traveled throughout the country speaking to common people and tribal chiefs, trying to garner support for movement towards independence. He also spoke on behalf of TANU to the Trusteeship Council and Fourth Committee of the United Nations in New York.
The cooperative British governor Sir Richard Turnbull aided the effort for independence. Nyerere entered the Colonial Legislative council following the country’s first elections in 1958–59 and was elected chief minister following fresh elections in 1960 when Tanganyika was granted responsible
government.
On 9th December 1961 Tanganyika gained independence as a Commonwealth realm and Nyerere became its first Prime Minister. Tanganyika became a republic in 1962, though remaining in the Commonwealth of Nations, and Nyerere was elected as the country’s first president.
In 1964, Julius Nyerere was instrumental in the union between the islands of Zanzibar and the mainland Tanganyika to form Tanzania with himself as president of the unified country.
Julius Nyerere Photo
In 1960s Julius Nyerere implemented a nationwide policy in Tanzania for schools at all levels to instruct classes in only the Swahili language. The end goal was for colleges and secondary schools to reach full “Swahilization” by the year 2000.
The movement at first was initially successful, as Nyerere was able to translate Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” and “Julius Caesar” into Swahili. The movement ultimately failed as Nyerere’s popularity in Tanzania faltered due to a collapsing economic state.
Julius Nyerere – Ujamaa
In the late 1960s, Tanzania was one of the world’s poorest countries. It was suffering from a severe foreign debt burden, a decrease in foreign aid, and a fall in the price of commodities.
His solution, the collectivization of agriculture, villagization and large-scale nationalization was a unique blend of socialism and communal life. The vision was set out in the Arusha Declaration of 1967 (reprinted in Nyerere 1968):
“The objective of socialism in the United Republic of Tanzania is to build a society in which all members have equal rights and equal opportunities; in which all can live in peace with their neighbors without suffering or imposing injustice, being exploited, or exploiting; and in which all have a gradually increasing basic level of material welfare before any individual lives in luxury.” (Nyerere 1968: 340)
People were encouraged (sometimes forced) to live and work on a co-operative basis in organized villages or ujamaa. The idea was to extend traditional values and responsibilities around kinship to Tanzania as a whole.
Within the Declaration, there was a commitment to raising basic living standards (and an opposition to conspicuous consumption and large private wealth). The socialism he believed in was ‘people-centered’.
Humanness in its fullest sense rather than wealth creation must come first. Societies become better places through the development of people rather than the gearing up of production. This was a matter that Nyerere took to be important both in political and private terms.
Julius Nyerere Retirement
In 1985 Julius Nyerere gave up the Presidency but remained as chair of the party – Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM). He gradually withdrew from active politics, retiring to his farm in Butiama.
In 1990 he relinquished his chairmanship of CCM but remained active on the world stage as Chair of the Intergovernmental South Centre. One of his last high profile actions was as the chief mediator in the Burundi conflict (in 1996).
Julius Nyerere Awards and Honours
- 1973: Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding
- 1982: the Third World Prize
- 1983: Nansen Refugee Award
- 1986: Sir Seretse Khama SADC Medal
- 1987: Lenin Peace Prize
- 1988: Joliot-Curie Medal of Peace
- 1992: International Simón Bolívar Prize
- 1995: Gandhi Peace Prize
- 2000: Statesman of the 20th century by the Chama cha Mapinduzi
- 2009: World Hero of Social Justice by the 63rd President of UNGA, Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann
- 2011: Tanzania Professional Network Award
- 1963: Royal Order of the Seraphim, Sweden
- 1975: Order of José Marti, Cuba
- 1975: Order of the Aztec Eagle (Collar), Mexico
- 1976: Amílcar Cabral Medal, Guinea Bissau
- 1983: Order of Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique.
- 1985: Order of Agostinho Neto, Angola
- 1988: Order of the Star of Ghana, Ghana
- 2004: Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo (Gold), South Africa.
- 2005: Royal Order of Munhumutapa, Zimbabwe.
- 2005: Most Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africa (Grand Master), Uganda
- 2005: Order of Katonga, Uganda
- 2009: National Liberation Medal, Rwanda.
- 2009: Campaign Against Genocide Medal, Rwanda
- 2010: Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis, Namibia
- 2011: Order of Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, Tanzania
- 2012: National Order of the Republic (Grand Cordon), Burundi.
Julius Nyerere Family; Wife and Children
Julius Nyerere’s wife is Maria Nyerere (Maria Waningu Gabriel Magige) and they have seven children; John Nyerere, Anna Nyerere, Rosemary Nyerere, Makongoro Nyerere, Madaraka Nyerere, Andrew Nyerere, and Magige Nyerere.
Julius Nyerere Death
Julius Nyerere died on October 14, 1999, at St. Thomas’s Hospital in London. Nyerere was battling chronic leukemia for over a year. On October 1st, Nyerere was in intensive care due to a major stroke. At 10:30 a.m.on October 14th with his wife, Maria, and six of his eight children by his bedside, Julius Nyerere had passed away.