Leaders and representatives came from
every region of the world to bid farewell to Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, from the
governments of 70 countries including 16 serving or former African heads of state, from
regional and international organizations, and European royalty. It was the largest
gathering at this level in the history of Tanzania; they crowded into the National Stadium
with 35,000 Tanzanians filling it to capacity.
And when the coffin draped in the
national flag was loaded onto the gun carriage surrounded by a guard of honour and began
moving off on the journey to its final resting place,
they wept.
In a list headed by the Crown Prince
of the Netherlands and the Princess Royal of the UK, this region was well-represented by
the SADC chairman, President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique and six other heads of state:
President Robert Mugabe, President Sam Nujoma, President Frederick Chiluba, President
Bakili Muluzi, President Thabo Mbeki, and the host, President Benjamin Mkapa.
Two former heads of state of member countries who
attended were Dr Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and Sir Ketumile Masire of Botswana; and the
widows of Eduardo Mondlane and Samora Machel of Mozambique.
The other leaders of the East African
Community attended: Presidents Daniel Arap Moi of Kenya and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda. And
two heads of state from the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), President
Jerry Rawlings of Ghana and President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria. The leaders of
Ethiopia, Eritrea and Rwanda attended, as did the OAU Secretary-General, Salim Ahmed
Salim, who is a Tanzanian, and the current President of the UN General Assembly, Theo-Ben
Gurirab from Namibia.
There was high-level representation
from Cuba and Jamaica; from Vietnam and China; from Canada, India and the Commonwealth;
and the United States of America was represented by Secretary of State, Madeleine
Albright.
Those who spoke echoed the themes of Mwalimu's
commitment and legacy of integrity, unity, dignity and equality.
"He is our father, and we are his children."
President Chissano spoke from the heart, thanking the Tanzanian people led by Mwalimu for
what they did to liberate Mozambique.
"All Tanzanians accepted sacrifices for this. ...
Mwalimu was not only able to think and launch slogans on freedom and unity but he could
install them into the hearts of citizens."
He said the unity of the people of
Mozambique and Tanzania was cemented when Mwalimu said,
"Uhuru na umoja: Freedom for Tanzania and Africa. Unity for Tanzania and all
of Africa." These were not just slogans, Chissano said, "he thought and
practised, and showed us how to achieve them."
"Mwalimu directed Tanzanians to
put a torch on top of Kilimanjaro to illuminate the struggle in southern Africa, and they
did - all Tanzanians did so, and Tanzania was made poorer as a result."
We do not have real liberation yet, he
said, "we still have to go ahead. Mwalimu taught us how to move together... by
beginning SADC... to meet the challenges.
"Today
we are building a strong region, but we still have weak economies. Tanzania could have had
a strong economy today if it did not accept sacrifices in building the future of the
region."
Mwalimu "taught us the main thing that prosperity
is built on the people. ...
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We will try to follow his teachings
and his example of Uhuru na umoja."
President Moi spoke of Julius
Nyerere's commitment to unity in the East African Community (EAC) such that he offered to
delay Tanganyika's independence so Kenya and Uganda could become independent at the same
time. "One of the greatest leaders and thinkers of the 20th century."
President Rawlings spoke of Julius
Nyerere's commitment and devotion to the cause of African freedom, the passion with which
he presented those ideas, and the single-mindedness with which he pursued them.
And the President of Nigeria, Olusegun
Obasanjo, spoke eloquently of the experiences of those such as himself "who had the fortune to work closely with
Mwalimu. We feel a great loss."
Obasanjo addressed the Presidents of
Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa directly when he said: "their presence
here is an eloquent tribute to the commitment of Mwalimu to the liberation of Africa.
"He gave leadership involving
personal and national sacrifice. ...I bowed out of government and I came to him wanting to
establish the Africa Leadership Forum. He said 'what will you do for Africa?' I said,
'enhance and strengthen its leadership'. He said, 'let's work together'." "He was an icon at home and a patron in
Africa."
Vice-president Kant of India said
Nyerere was "the voice of freedom and unity in Africa and the developing world."
He said he was speaking on behalf of one billion people of India, with whose leaders
Mwalimu worked "shoulder-to-shoulder against colonialism and apartheid."
The OAU Chairman, President Abdelaziz
Bouteflika of Algeria sent a message describing Mwalimu as: "...the tireless defender
of just causes and worthy architect of the conquest by African peoples of their rightful
place among nations of the world."
In his condolence message, SADC
Executive Secretary, Kaire Mbuende said, "Tanzania, SADC, Africa and the World have
been robbed of a great man who has played an instrumental role not only in the development
of our region, but also in laying the ground work for its development. Nyerere was one of the founding fathers of
SADC, whose sagacity guided this organisation in its formative years.
SADC has continued to benefit from his
wisdom even after his retirement from active politics."
The World Bank was represented by its
vice-president for Africa, Callisto Madavo from Zimbabwe, and the message from his
President, James D. Wolfensohn, on behalf of the international financial institutions, was
perhaps one of the most surprising, as Julius Nyerere had challenged and critiqued the
economic prescriptions of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund when he was
President of Tanzania, and afterwards as Chairman of the South Commission.
"While world economists were
debating the importance of capital output ratios, President Nyerere was saying that
nothing was more important for people than being able to read and write and have access to
clean water.
"His political ideals, his deep
religious convictions, his equally deep religious tolerance, and his belief that people of
all ethnic and regional origins should have equal access to knowledge and material
opportunities have marked his country - and Africa - forever.
"... Many of us still regard
ourselves as his students, and
we feel very honoured to have known
and worked with him in his life.
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... the example he set and the ideals
he represented will remain a source of inspiration and comfort for all of us,"
Wolfensohn's message said.
US Secretary of State Albright
described Julius Nyerere as "one of the great leaders of our time.
"As leader of this young nation,
President Nyerere refused to accept the idea that
liberty could be divisible. "He
was a champion of the struggle for independence and for racial justice in southern Africa.
He was the driving force behind the Southern African Development Community, and the man
who stood up to the tyranny of Idi Amin (of Uganda).
"During President Nyerere's visit
to the United States in 1963, our own young president John Kennedy received him and called
attention to the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial, both of which were visible
from where the two leaders stood.
And President Kennedy spoke of
President Nyerere's role as the father of his country, and as a man deeply engaged in the
hard work but great work of building freedom."
The current presidency of the European
Union is held by Finland, and its President, Martti Ahtisaari, a friend and former
ambassador to Tanzania in the 1970s and UN Commissioner for Namibia in the 1980s, came
personally to bid farewell.
Mwalimu dedicated his life to the
ideals of human dignity and common humanity, Ahtisaari said. "His contribution to
promoting these values in Tanzania, in Africa and worldwide is indisputable and
uncomparable."
Julius Nyerere was "a great
freedom fighter" and a "tireless mediator and peace-builder... who promoted
peace and stability in Africa and was an advocate of good governance worldwide." Ahtisaari spoke for everyone when he said at
the end of his statement:
"Asante sana, Mwalimu. Thank-you, Mwalimu."
Peace
Justice Democracy
Humanity
Unity Love
"Goodbye
Mwalimu,
The
great towering pillar of Tanzania,
Africa,
and
All
peace loving people!
You
taught us,
How
to think,
Listen,
Urge,
Debate
Convince
and persevere.
Your
charisma, humility and intellect,
Taught
us
how
to accept diversity,
Diversity
among individuals,
communities,
tribes,
nations,
countries,
religions,
beliefs, cultures
and
philosophies.
Go
well Mwalimu,
The
great son of Africa!
Go
peacefully,
And
tell
Nkrumah,
Lumumba,
Nasser
and Machel that,
Africa
still needs them,
They
should send us their blessings,
To
make Africa
The
millennium continent.
Rest
in eternal peace, Mwalimu!"
(by Prof. LDB Kinabo of Sokoine University of Agriculture
in Tanzania, dedicated to Mwalimu for his noble service to mankind, reproduced in the
Daily News, Dar es Salaam, 22 October 1999) |