Nyerere: The Early Years

Research output: Book/ReportBook

Abstract

Julius Kambarage Nyerere (1922-1999), the first President of Tanzania, was a man whose political life was uniquely and inextricably bound into the history of the nation he created. Yet, though 'Baba wa Taifa', Father of the Nation, there is still no adequate biography.

This book presents the first truly rounded portrait of Nyerere's early life, from his birth in 1922 until his graduation from Edinburgh in 1952, helping us to see his later political achievements in a new light. It was after returning to Tanganyika that 'Mwalimu' (the teacher) formally entered politics, and led efforts to deliver Tanganyika to independence. Drawing on interviews with his contemporaries, as well as archival sources, including his letters as a student and files that the colonial authorities kept on him, this revelatory and engaging account allows us to see Nyerere afresh. It also brings a new perspective on how the scholarship that Nyerere engaged with as a young man in Scotland influenced his ideas of the uhuru movement against colonial rule and, later, the ujamaa policy of African socialism that so defined his leadership of an independent Tanzania.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationSuffolk
PublisherJames Currey Ltd
Number of pages302
ISBN (Electronic)9781782042969
ISBN (Print)9781847010902, 9781847011503
Publication statusPublished - 19 Jun 2014

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • African studies
  • politics & economics

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