The Lion King | 21
Country Focus
Julius Nyerere
(1922 – 1999)
transcended religious differences
as adherents of both religions
largely live together peacefully,
united by their social, economic,
political and cultural activities.
Inter-religious marriages are
common helping to cement the
bond between both religions.
Zanzibar
Majority of the people in Zanzibar
are Muslims, with a good mix of
Christians. Tourists come from
various parts of the world to
visit Zanzibar. The key areas of
attraction are the buildings,
Cultural dances with Arabic
originations, the main slave trade
market of people in east Africa,
who were then shipped to Far
East and West Africa and South
America.
Tourists are usually treated to
delicious local food which are
often prepared and eaten on the
spot.
Makonde
The Makonde are one of the
most popular tribes in Tanzania.
They are known for their ability
to create carvings of almost
anything under the sun. The
carvings are usually cut from a
special tree into small shapes
and sizes of whatever they want
to create. The production of
these carvings demands a lot
of skill and creativity from the
Makonde.
Maasai People
The Maasai people are
pastoralist in nature. They are
found mainly in Tanzania and
Kenya. Their life depends on
cattle production from which
they get milk and meat for their
subsistence. Their migration
is seasonal following green
grassland and water for their
cattle.
They are arguably the most
known African tribe due to their
dressing style and culture. They
live near the national parks
like Serengeti, Ngorongoro,
Manyara, Selous, and Tarangire
national parks. The Maasai
usually live together with their
cattle, lions, antelopes in the
forest. In Tanzania, the Maasai
have been allowed by the
government to live together with
their animals in the national parks
to preserve their culture and the
environment.
Makonde carvings
J
ulius Nyerere, the former
and founding President
of the United Republic
of Tanzania, is known not
only as one of the world’s
most respected statesmen
and articulate spokesmen of
African liberation and African
dignity but also as an educator,
original and creative thinker.
Julius Nyerere was born in
Butiama, in the north of the
United Republic of Tanzania,
on April 13th 1922. He was the
son of a Zanaki chief. He served
as the first President of Tanzania
and previously Tanganyika,
from the country’s founding in
1961 until his retirement in 1985
Mwalimu Nyerere’s Political
Career
Mwalimu Nyerere’s story is
one of the best untold stories
as far as African politics is
concerned.
Nyerere was a founding
member of the Tanganyika
African National Union (TANU),
and the elected president.
He abandoned teaching for
full-time politics, and made
the case for Tanganyikan
independence at the United
Nations in 1955 and 1956. He
was elected to the Legislative
Council in 1958 and reelected
in 1960, when TANU won
seventy of the seventy-one
seats.
Nyerere became Chief Minister
of Tanganyika’s first cabinet
and was designated Prime
Minister on the achievement
of full independence in
December 1961. In January
1962 he resigned the
premiership to devote himself
to party affairs. The following
December, when Tanganyika
became a republic, he
was elected President. He
became President of the
United Republic of Tanzania
after the union of Tanganyika
and Zanzibar in 1964 and
was reelected to successive
five-year terms beginning
in 1965. After retiring from
the presidency in 1985, he
remained Chairman of the
Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).
Mwalimu Nyerere
