>From: Black Radical Congress <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Statement on the Passing of Nyerere
>Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 21:41:33 -0400
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>The Following is a Press Release/Statement from the Black Radical Congress
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Condolence Message of the International Committee of the
>Black Radical Congress to the Family, the Government and
>People of Tanzania on the Passing of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere
>
>October 19, 1999
>
>The Black Radical Congress (BRC) joins with others all over the world in
>mourning the loss of Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere. It is with great
>sadness and a profound sense of loss that we have received the news of the
>passing of Mwalimu. Julius Nyerere was the President of Tanzania from
>independence in 1961 until he voluntarily stepped down in 1985. His
>decision to step down demonstrated that political leadership was not the
>personal possession of any individual. In the many capacities that he
>served in his 77 years he was always an inspiration for those struggling
>for justice, peace and socialist transformation. His vision of socialism
>and of an original African contribution to humanity touched those in this
>society who are in the belly of capitalism and suffer the indignities of
>racism, police terror, exploitation and sexism. He provided moral
>leadership in a continent where many leaders thought of filling their
>pockets and bank accounts instead of serving their people.
>
>Mwalimu Julius Nyerere was a great human being who demonstrated his
>respect for the ordinary Africa and for the lives of all human beings. He
>stood out in the continent in his opposition to genocidal violence and he
>was one of the few who raised his voice loudly against the genocide in
>Rwanda. Up to his last days, in his capacity as one of the diplomats of
>the Nyerere Foundation for Peace and Development, he was at the forefront
>of trying to bring peace to Burundi to isolate the extremists on both
>sides who want to use militaristic means to solve social problems. With
>Mwalimu's passing the struggles for peace and stability in Burundi will
>have suffered a great loss and the BRC calls on the Organization of
>African Unity (OAU) and the United Nations to strengthen the peacekeeping
>mechanisms put in place by Nyerere to halt the creeping genocide in
>Burundi. The Tanzanian government should resist the military solutions
>that are being suggested by the United States through what it calls the
>Africa Crisis Response Initiative.
>
>The Black Radical Congress salutes the heritage of Nyerere in standing
>against all dictators, militarists and exploiters whether black, brown or
>white. As the chairperson of the Frontline States that supported the
>liberation struggles in Southern Africa, Nyerere was steadfast in his
>opposition to white minority rule. The independence of Mozambique, Angola,
>Zimbabwe, Namibia, and the coming to power of an African government in
>South Africa owe a great debt to the leadership of Nyerere and the
>sacrifices of the Tanzanian peoples. It was in this same spirit that he
>supported Wamba Dia Wamba and the struggle for a new mode of politics in
>the Congo. His support for democracy and peace in the Congo is consistent
>with his life long opposition to African tyrants and those who seek to use
>ethnic, regional and religious divisions to weaken Africa. His support for
>the peoples of Uganda against the dictatorship of Idi Amin in Uganda was
>one of the most important lessons for Africans abroad. The military
>invasion of Uganda in 1978 defied the sterile position of the OAU of "non
>intervention in the internal affairs of other states." Nyerere
>demonstrated that killing of Africans in any part of Africa or any part of
>the world should be of concern to all human beings, especially African
>leaders. There were many who supported Idi Amin because he expelled the
>Asian traders from Uganda, but Nyerere demonstrated that oppression must
>be opposed even if the leader uses nationalist rhetoric to disguise the
>oppression. The opposition of Nyerere to Idi Amin (of Uganda), Mobutu Sese
>Seko of Zaire Jonas Savimbi of Angola and Laurent Kabila of the Democratic
>republic of the Congo demonstrated a principled position that was not
>present in the era of consensus politics in Africa. It was most
>significant that Wamba dia Wamba was working with Mwalimu Nyerere in
>seeking to end the cycle of genocidal violence in Burundi.
>
>The Black Radical Congress is calling on the government of Tanzania to
>continue the work for peace and respect for human life in Africa. The
>objectives of promoting regional peace and security must be carried
>forward with renewed vigor. The heritage of Nyerere for regional
>integration and cooperation must be built upon. Any errors in judgment
>that were made in the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar must be
>rectified so that this does not fester and become a basis for eroding the
>stability of Tanzania. With all of the praises of Nyerere, it should be
>remembered that he was also human and that he made errors in the course of
>his long political career. The BRC wants to honor his memory by
>highlighting his positive contributions to emancipatory politics in
>Africa.
>
>Africans born in the USA who were fighting for civil rights always found a
>home in Tanzania when they were persecuted in the USA. The decision of
>Tanzania to be the Home of the Pan African Skills project that welcomed
>African Americans to the African continent was an act of solidarity that
>will not be forgotten. Many members of the BRC participated actively in
>the Sixth Pan African Congress that was hosted by Tanzania in Dar es
>Salaam in 1974. Despite the relative poverty of the people, the government
>of Tanzania was making resources available for progressive and
>revolutionary forces from all over the world to find a common meeting
>point in Tanzania. Nyerere was a partisan to Pan Africanism but he was
>also an internationalist who supported the struggles of the Vietnamese,
>the Cubans and all those who opposed imperialism. Concretely he organized
>the South South Commission to strengthen the political and economic
>linkages between formerly colonized societies.
>
>As oppressed peoples in the USA, the BRC also salutes the cultural
>policies of Nyerere. The decision to make Kiswahili the language of
>business, commerce and government of Tanzania ensured that the peoples of
>the country were drawn into the decision making process. The stability of
>Tanzania is in large part due to the cohesion and unity fostered by the
>language policies of Nyerere. The BRC calls on the Tanzanian government to
>carry forward this language policy to ensure that genuine bilingual
>traditions develop so that students in schools and universities are not
>alienated in their own country. The unfinished tasks of making the
>national language a language of higher education will ensure the rapid
>social and economic transformation of Tanzania.
>
>Mwalimu Nyerere was a revolutionary leader of the twentieth century who
>opposed the capitalists with fervor. His opposition to the World Bank and
>the International Monetary Fund was one of the epic struggles against
>global capitalism this century. The idea of ujamaa villages and a form of
>social collectivism that dug deep into the African past is one that will
>inspire millions for the next millennium. Physicists and other scientists
>who are now recognizing the limitations of crude materialism are now
>turning to the ideas of leaders such as Nyerere to warn humanity to
>retreat from the crude and mechanistic ideas of the domination over nature
>that has brought about the ecological disaster. Mwalimu struggled to
>maintain the harmony between humans and their environment. Throughout his
>political career he battled against the expropriation of the poor peasants
>from the land. He wanted all of the people to own the land and up to his
>last days he was opposed to the privatization of land and the land
>policies of the International Monetary Fund. Many critics have suggested
>that ujamaa was a failure but these are the same forces who lauded
>apartheid as an economic success. One cannot be successful economically
>when the majority of the population are without food, clothing shelter,
>and health care. The policies of ujamaa (African socialism) enabled
>Tanzania to enjoy one of the highest literacy rates in the world.
>
>Tanzanian men and women who benefited from the literacy programs and the
>health policies of Nyerere's leadership should continue the struggle for
>health care for all. In the midst of the Aids pandemic the struggles for
>new social policies are even more urgent. The form of medicine that is
>practiced in the USA should not be the guide or inspiration for the health
>system in Tanzania. Africans in the USA and peoples of color are among the
>more than fifty million persons who do not have adequate health care in
>the world's richest country. The Black Radical Congress appeals to the
>Tanzanian government and people to continue to uphold Nyerere's ideals of
>placing the resources of the nation in the service of the ordinary toilers
>and common people. Nyerere had taken the lead in actively supporting all
>struggles and he never fell prey to the homophobic utterances of certain
>leaders who espoused so called "traditional" African values to support
>discriminatory practices.
>
>Mwalimu Nyerere was a humble person who was incorruptible in a world of
>corruption. He continues to be an inspiration to the Black Radical
>Congress and his internationalism will be a guide to the work to free this
>country of racism, militarism, exploitation and destruction of the
>environment. The Black Radical Congress will be using the teachings and
>life of Nyerere to inspire the youth who are at the forefront of the fight
>against marginalization, police terror and imprisonment in this country.
>Nyerere's principled opposition to US militarism will guide our youth who
>will understand that might is not right and that the billions that are
>used in building weapons should be mobilized to solve the pressing
>problems of humanity.
>
>At this hour of pain and the loss of a great person, the Black Radical
>Congress wishes to express our sympathy with Mwalimu's family, especially
>his wife, Mama Maria, their children, all Tanzanians, Africans at home and
>abroad and all of those struggling to transform this social system to one
>that serves the interests of human beings.
>
>International Committee,
>Black Radical Congress
>
>October 19, 1999
>
>-30-
>
>The Black Radical Congress
>National Office
>P.O. Box 490365
>Atlanta, GA 30349
>Phone: (404) 768-2529
>Fax: (404) 614-8563
>
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>BRC-PRESS: Black Radical Congress - Official Press Releases/Statements
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Subscribe: Email "subscribe brc-press" to <[log in to unmask]>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Archive: http://www.egroups.com/group/brc-press (The first time, you need
>to "Join" and set your preferences to "Read on the Web")
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Questions/Problems: Send email to <[log in to unmask]>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>www.blackradicalcongress.org | BRC | [log in to unmask]
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
