Nyerere And Nkrumah

This work looks at the shared vision Julius Nyerere and Kwame Nkrumah had about the future of Africa. It looks at their quest for continental unity and the different paths they took to achieve the same goal; how they tried to transform their countries into socialist societies, emphasising the imperative need for socialism as the basis for development not only for their countries but for the continent as a whole; and what Africa's place should be in the global community. Other subjects covered include the political awakening of Nkrumah when he was a student in the United States and the influence people of African descent in the diaspora had on him; the ties Shirley Graham Du Bois, the widow of Dr. W.E. B. Du Bois, had with Nkrumah and Nyerere and how the military coup against Nkrumah affected her life including her decision to become a citizen of Tanzania after she was forced to leave Ghana following Nkrumah's ouster; as well as a number of other subjects about Africa which linked Nkrumah and Nyerere when both leaders were in power and even after Nkrumah was overthrown. Written by a Tanzanian who witnessed some of the major events which took place on the continent in the sixties when African countries were emerging from colonial rule and when the liberation struggle in the countries of southern Africa was most intense during the seventies and even in the eighties in the case of Namibia and apartheid South Africa, the book is also a reflection of the spirit of the times when Africans saw themselves as one, united in their desire to see their continent free even if they did not identify themselves as Pan-Africanists and did not know exactly what the term Pan-Africanism meant. What mattered was the spirit: We are all Africans, united as one people and determined to see Africa free.

In African politics, Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta, Tanzania's Julius Nyerere, and Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah were known for their early radical ideas, and in the case of Nkrumah and Nyerere, for their socialistic political stance. Kenyatta was well known for his suspected leadership in the Mau-Mau revolt against British colonial rule; Nyerere for his "Ujamaa", a cooperative/socialist enterprise; and Kwame Nkrumah as the indigenous African leader who, in 1957, lit the torch of modern African political independence. This book analyzes their nationalistic-cum-Pan-Africanist and overall political contributions to African history.

This is the fourth edition of 'Nyerere and Africa: End of an Era. It is also the largest and includes new material not found in previous editions. The work is a comprehensive study of the political career of President Julius Nyerere spanning half a century. The author takes a critical look at Nyerere's policies and influence in the domestic and international arenas for an objective evaluation of the life and times of one of the most influential leaders in the twentieth century. The major role he played in the liberation of southern Africa is just one of the subjects addressed by the author. He also provides insights into Nyerere's personality from some of the people who knew him best. Included in the book are interviews with some of the people who knew Nyerere since his childhood. Some of them were his teachers. And they outlived him. Others were his schoolmates and colleagues in government and when he was a teacher. And some of them were his students. Also included are interviews with some of his family members. This is an essential study of post-colonial Africa. It is also a study in political leadership and Cold War politics in the African context, among many other subjects addressed in the book which should serve as a reference text for scholars and laymen alike interested in Africa and the Third World in general.

The author shows the different paths taken by Nkrumah and Nyerere in the quest for African unity, the obstacles they faced, why African countries did not unite in the 1960s and why the dream remains elusive even today.

The author shows the role played by Western governments and intelligence agencies in overthrowing Ghana's first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. They worked together to weaken and undermine his government, and they facilitated the military coup which ended his rule. He has used declassified material including interviews with former American ambassadors to Ghana, as well as other sources, to document his study. He contends that the Ghanaian army and police officers who overthrew Nkrumah may not have succeeded, when they did, in ousting Nkrumah had Western powers, especially the United States, not been involved in the plot to oust him. They participated in planning the coup. But he also concedes that it is possible the Ghanaian coup makers would have, on their own, succeeded later in overthrowing Nkrumah. Major Akwasi Afrifa, one of the leaders of the February 1966 coup in which Nkrumah was ousted, planned twice – in 1962 and in 1964 – to overthrow Nkrumah but the plots were discovered by the security forces before they could be carried out. The author acknowledges that Nkrumah had enemies within and faced strong opposition to his rule. But he also contends that there was a concerted effort by Western powers, especially the United States, to overthrow Nkrumah that should not be overlooked when examining his downfall. They worked in collusion with his enemies within. But even if Nkrumah did not have enemies in Ghana, the United States and other Western powers still would have worked on plans to get rid of him because he was considered to be a threat to American and Western interests in Africa. The book includes photos. His forthcoming book, “Ghana after Nkrumah,” complements this work.

The author, who lived and grew up under Nyerere's leadership, remembers how life was in those days in his home country of Tanganyika, later Tanzania. It is more than just a sentimental journey into the past. It is also an assessment of Nyerere's leadership and policies from the perspective of a former journalist. The author worked as a reporter at Tanzania's leading newspaper, "The Daily News," when Nyerere was president. Included in the book is one of the last interviews Nyerere gave not long before he died in which he reflected on his leadership and even on his student days at Makerere University College in Uganda and at Edinburgh University in Scotland. Also included is an interview with former Ugandan President Milton Obote in which he talked about Nyerere and failure of the East African federation.