TANZANIA: IT is in record that the Arusha Declaration of 1967 played a foundational role in setting Tanzania on a new course.
The declaration was a strong pillar of struggle against illegitimate accumulation of wealth and corruption in politics, redefining politics as a moral struggle.
Championed by the nation’s Founding Father Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, the declaration sought to among other things, safeguard the inherent dignity of the individual in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
This is what Mwalimu Nyerere held closer to his heart, as Tanzanians today commemorate the 25th anniversary since his death.
“Certainly, Mwalimu did his best as far as the declaration is concerned,” says Dr Paul Loisulie, an analyst and Lecturer at the University of Dodoma.
He said Mwalimu Nyerere was able to oversee the establishment of the Arusha declaration after realising that colonisers were able to dominate Tanzania by breaking down and destroying thoughts after removing the foundational ways of life and imposing their own.
He said the Father of the Nation decided to come up with the Arusha Declaration as the right way to dismantle the coloniser’s ideas and introduce new foundations with an African orientation.
“The Arusha declaration was a remedy to remove colonialism from people’s minds,” said Dr Loisulie.
According to Dr Loisulie, Mwalimu Nyerere applied various methods and strategies to ensure Tanzanians understood their positions in building their nation.
He said some of the methods used by Mwalimu Nyerere include providing education on socialism and self-reliance to build a nation that understands itself and governs itself.
He also established the National Service (JKT) as one of the important ways to unite the nation and build a foundation of patriotism.
Moreover, the Father of the Nation emphasised the Swahili language as a vital connector for all ethnic groups.
“Mwalimu also utilised various slogans such as ‘Siasa ni Kazi’ loosely translated as “Politics is Work,” ‘Kilimo cha Kufa na Kupona’ loosely translated as ‘Agriculture for Life or Death’ and others to encourage people to love work and be self-reliant,” he explained.
Moreover, Mwalimu Nyerere established the Ujamaa villages to unite the country and bring services closer to the people.
Dr Loisulie said: “despite the shortcomings that arose in these methods, Mwalimu Nyerere’s decisions have shaped the nation that we have today.” University of Dar es Salaam (Mkwawa University College), Dr Joseph Chakupewa said talking of Arusha declaration, one will automatically be referring to Mwalimu Nyerere.
He said Mwalimu Nyerere was the chief architect of the declaration.
“Through Arusha declaration, Mwalimu Nyerere managed to establish his socialism policy which advocated for existence of classless society,” he said.
He said through Arusha declaration, the father of the nation believed to get rid of the paper exploitative forms as it was witnessed through capitalist form or call imperialism principal. It was through Arusha declaration that in 1970s, villagilisation policy was introduced in which formal villages were established.
“Now whether villagilisation policy succeeded or not is the discussion for another day,” he noted.
He added that the most important thing is the fact that the current villages embody true vision of Mwalimu Nyerere.
He added that through Nyerere under Arusha declaration, education for selfreliance was introduced in which schools were turned into vocational entities to enable graduates to possess skills for them to conquer the nature.
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It is through Arusha declaration Tanzanians feel that sense of brotherhood (Ujamaa) such that to date Tanzanians feel so proud helping one another without asking for any return.
Moreover, some politicians who worked with Mwalimu Nyerere during the implementation of Arusha Declaration describe him as the person who didn’t want to see disparity in incomes and levels of lives among Tanzanians.
Mwalimu Nyerere always said all Tanzanians had to enjoy modest lives and that no one should look down on the other as far as the issue of income or quality of life was concerned.
Former President Jakaya Kikwete told participants during the commemorative dialogue in honour of the Father of the Nation at the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School (MJNLS) that in marking the 25-year anniversary of Mwalimu Nyerere’s demise, it is also the right time to remind each other of the kind of person he was in fighting for African freedom.
He urged Tanzanians and all Africans to honour Mwalimu Julius Nyerere by maintaining the pace in the fight against poverty, ignorance and disease, the challenges he once referred to as the enemies of progress on the continent.
The three challenges were among issues that were given priority in implementing the Arusha Declaration.
The dialogue under the theme: Reflections on Solidarity, Leadership, Pan-Africanism and African Unity was attended by representatives from South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) from Namibia, the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) from Angola, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) from Zimbabwe, the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) from Mozambique, the African National Congress (ANC) and the host, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).
The dialogue was also attended by representatives of the Communist Party of China (CPC), heads of government institutions, diplomats, politicians, academicians and other citizens.
Earlier, a veteran politician and former cabinet minister, Mzee Paul Kimiti said: “We should be proud to Mwalimu because the wealth gap between the rich and the poor isn’t that wide compared to other countries.”
The Arusha Declaration, which was passed on January 29, 1967, summarised Tanzania’s commitment to socialism and the significant role that it was to play in the country’s development. This declaration emphasised self-reliance, frugality and self-denial.
It stated that everyone in the state, irrespective of his or her actual occupation, was a worker and that all means of production would be nationalised for the people.
The concept of Ujamaa was the centerpiece of the social and economic development programme. Here groups of village families worked together on communal farms for the common good.
The Declaration also included a Leadership Code to promote equality among all Tanzania citizens. This code was one of numerous attempts to prevent party leaders and well-to-do individuals from forming privileged, exploitative groups.
The Arusha Declaration as a whole sought to reduce the income inequality among all citizens and shift development efforts towards rural areas. It argued that the country was involved in a war against poverty and oppression.
In addition to aiming for a self-sustaining economy, it reformed the education system.
The three significant changes that it made, were putting more emphasis on primary education rather than secondary education, commending practical knowledge more than book knowledge and gearing education more towards agricultural skills.
The Arusha Declaration is one of the most important political and economic decrees in Tanzania’s history. It formally outlined how resources for development can be mobilised.