The late Julius Nyerere
Former president of Tanzania, Dr. Julius Nyerere is to be canonised. He is raising the stakes in politics and exercise of power in Africa. Although he has been a politician and a president, two tempting spaces, he has conducted himself in each space to be candidate for canonisation.
The full impact of this development is sure to be still unfolding but it speaks to possibilities hitherto never thought to be possible. Nyerere has always been known for decency but it was never thought to be of this scale.
The process is still on and is bound to interest a lot of the world. It cannot be less for a political leader with Nyerere’s creativity and originality, best exemplified in politics by his programme of villagisation or ‘Ujaama’. His notions of what a political party in Africa should be like, his hatred for elections but his pragmatism in each case are also sure to come back to memories.
