Join us this April 26th to celebrate Tanzania Union Day: the creation of Tanzania, which came out of the union of two African nations: Zanzibar and Tanganyika. From the late 1950s onward independence movements swept through Africa demanding independence from colonial rule. It started with Ghana in 1957, leading to most African countries decolonising by the mid 1960s.
Revolution in Zanzibar
Once called the Spice Islands, the major influence of Arab communities in Zanzibar began fully in 1840 when the Sultan of Oman moved his capital to Zanzibar. This led to the emigration of numerous Omanis and other Arab communities to the island. By 1890 Britain had converted Zanzibar and its neighbour Pemba into a protectorate colony. The British officially ended slavery in 1897 but continued to allow the Arab majority to exploit the African majority economically.
Zanzibar in 1920
Zanzibar gained independence from Britain as a constitutional monarchy under Sultan Jamshid bin Abdulla on 10 December 1963. The African majority population, however, were deeply unhappy with their new leaders and organised a revolution on 12 January 1964, establishing a new government led by Abeid Karume. The Zanzibar revolution of 1964 is still considered the most violent outbreak of anti-Arab violence in Africa’s postcolonial history.
After the Zanzibar revolution of January 1964, Western powers such as the US and Britain labelled Zanzibar as Africa’s Cuba, in reference to Cuba’s proxy role in the rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union.
Decolonisation in Tanganyika
Tanganyika was held as a German colony from the 1880s to 1919, and German colonists often sought to control tribes in Tanganyika. They encountered constant resistance including the widespread Maji Maji rebellion of 1905.
After the German defeat in World War I Tanganyika came under British control. It remained so from 1919 until1961, when decolonisation from Britain took place in a largely peaceful transition of power, with the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) winning the election led by Julius Nyere.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city – by Muhammad Mahdi Karim
Pan-African Socialism and Julius Nyerere
Julius Nyere was Tanzania’s first president, a committed Socialist and Pan-African who took inspiration from principles of Ujaama in his policies for the country. Educated first in Uganda and later in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1949 (becoming the first black graduate from Tanganyika) he was strongly inspired by the British post-war Welfare State. He was a founder of the OAU in 1963 (the predecessor to the African Union from 2002).
From 1965 to 1968, Tanzania cut all diplomatic ties with the United Kingdom, resulting in the UK stopping its financial aid. This allowed other countries such as China to offer financial support and interest-free loans in its place.
Nyerere saw investment from ex-colonial powers as an extension of previous colonial rule, and so set out new socialist policies that focused heavily on economic independence. The country’s resources would belong to the citizens and banks were nationalized. He took inspiration from the principles of Ujamaa, or co-operative economics, to form his policies.
The reality of his economic policies led, however, to financial ruin, and by the 1980s Tanzania had become one of the poorest countries in the world, resulting in the introduction of food rationing. In 1985, Julius Nyerere resigned as president after 23 years in power, accepting that his socialist policies had failed and had worsened economic difficulties in the country, allowing space for free market policies to enter the country for the first time.
61 years of Union
There have been difficulties for the union, as Zanzibari nationalism has risen at times to demand more sovereignty and threaten to break from the union. Another major issue has been the eviction of Masaai tribes from their lands, the ancestral custodians excluded from the decision making of their homes.
The structure of the union is a two-government system consisting of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar and the United Republic of Tanzania. Despite calls from some sectors of society to revise the structure of government to give greater powers to Zanzibar, the ruling CCM party maintains that the current political union is immovable.
Tanzania is a relatively unique African story of two countries maintaining their union: in other countries, unions have come and gone. Previous unions include the Ethiopia-Eritrea Federation (1952-1962), the Ghana-Guinea-Mali Union (Union of African States – 1958-1963), and the Senegambia Confederation (1982-1989).
Zanzibar Stone Town – by Brocken Inaglory
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