Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere as a Tanzanian Cultural Icon

Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere as a Tanzanian cultural icon: APA essay

Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere as a Tanzanian cultural icon.

Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere was the first prime minister of Tanganyika and first president of Tanzania (Julius Nyerere , 2013). He is viewed as the father of nation, as he fought for independence and enforced the emphasis of education for both genders, giving equal rights to men and women. Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere is an essential Tanzanian cultural icon as he represents compassionate and determined Tanzanian people through historical and ideological reasons.

        Julius Kambarage Nyerere was born on April 13, 1922 in Butiama, on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria in North West Tanganyika (Madyibi, n.d.). He died in 1999 when he was 77-years-old. He was known as Mwalimu, which means “teacher”, he was given this name because he was a teacher. He got a government scholarship to the University of Edinburgh for Masters in Arts to study history and political economy, and was also the first one from Tanzania to study in a British University.  Nyerere’s integrity, ability as a political speaker and planner, and his readiness to work with different groups was a significant factor in independence being achieved without bloodshed (para. 1).

Mw. Julius Kambarage Nyerere is a Tanzanian icon because of his historical reasons/legacy. He was the person who established Tanzania. According to The Lonely planet website, “Nyerere skilfully co-opted its potentially destabilising forces by giving island politicians a prominent role in a newly proclaimed United Republic of Tanzania, created from the union of Tanganyika with Zanzibar in April 1964.” (© 2015 Lonely Planet., n.d.) (para. 13). Along with his companions, he created a country that belonged to the locals of both the merging cities. He helped to re-establish a new city, Tanzania, by joining two major cities in East Africa, without the involvement of any form of physical battles and by simply using his knowledge and attributes. He had skills of a skillful leader who not only wanted his own benefit but also of his people. He wanted people to live in peace and harmony and without any biasness to avoid any kind of conflict amongst them. Clearly, due to Nyerere Tanzania exists today, he was the reason behind the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

Mw. Julius Kambarage Nyerere is also a Tanzanian icon because of his Ideology. Moreover, Julius Kambarage Nyerere played a very vital role in acquiring Tanzania’s independence. According to Smith (1998), “Nyerere’s integrity, ability as a political orator and organizer, and readiness to work with different groupings was a significant factor in independence being achieved without bloodshed.” (para. 3). Nyerere did not believe in creating anarchy, instead believed in solving disputes peacefully. As of today, many Tanzanians still follow his ideology and do not believe in violence, due to that it is considered as one of the most peaceful countries in the world. His ideologies are still very much in practice today.