Tanzania’s challenges since Uhuru INDEPENDENT?
Nordiska Afrikainstitutet The Nordic Africa Institute P.O. Box 1703
SE-751 47 Uppsala Sweden www.nai.uu.se
ISBN 978-91-7106-590-2 ISBN 91-7106-590-2
9 7 8 9 1 7 1 0 6 5 9 0 2
Independent ?
Tanzania’s challenges since Uhuru
A second-generation nation in a globalized world
Knud Vilby
ISBN 9987-411-59-2
K n ud V ilb y In d ep en d en T? T an za n ia ’s c h all en g es si n ce U hu ru
E & D Vision Publishing Ltd.
P.O.Box 4460 Dar es Salaam Tanzania ed@bol.co.tz
At “Uhuru” most Tanzanians alive today were not yet born. But independ- ent Tanzania is nevertheless a young nation; less than 50 years old. For the young majority Tanzania has been independent throughout their lifetime.
But for the older ones, memories of dreams and aspirations at the time of Uhuru are still fresh.
This is an attempt to describe the history and challenges facing Tanzania since Uhuru through the voices and memories of Tanzanians who are old enough to remember, still active enough to take part in society and still with visions and ideas about the challenges Tanzania faces today.
It is a story of setbacks and disappointments, but also of pride. Much has gone wrong since 1961, but peace and harmony have been preserved and developed. Tanzania is today a country of development and economic growth, though not really sufficient to reduce poverty.
The book is also a story about the many challenges facing today’s Tanzania. There are millions more people; growing economic polarisation and marginalisation; a huge unemployment problem; hardly any agricul- tural development; degradation of natural resources and a very insufficient educational system.
Among the Tanzanians interviewed for the book are former vice presi- dent Rashid Kawawa, former prime minister Joseph Warioba, Head of the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation Joseph Butiku, Bishop Lukanima Fortunatus, Secretary General Alhaj Othman Ntarru from BAKWATA, former regional commissioner James Luhanga, Professor Issa Shivji, head of the Law Faculty at the University of Dar es Salaam Hamsa Njozi, professor Rwekaza Mukandala and professor Mwesiga Baregu. But ordinary Tanzanians – farmers, workers, grandfathers and grandmothers, active and retired civil servants – are also among those interviewed.
The statements are used thematically in chapters focusing on the various challenges that have faced Tanzania: from insufficient focus on agriculture to the menace of corruption; from socialism to capitalism and from the role of the family to the importance of religion. There is a strong focus on the limitation of independence. Tanzania is independent, but there is no true independence in a globalized world.
KNUD VILBY is a Danish journalist who has followed developments in Tanzania since the 1960s.
