Mwalimu Julius Nyerere saint at once: But who is Nyerere?

Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, is a former president of the United Republic of Tanzania. To most Tanzanians he is the Father of the nation. He was born in 1922 in Butiama village, on the shores of Lake Victoria. At the age of 12 he attended primary school in Musoma, secondary school at Tabora boys in Tabora, and then joined Makerere University attaining a diploma in education. He taught for three years in Tabora then joined Edinburgh university in England from 1949 – 1952 for Master of Arts degree. On his return to Tanganyika he was posted at Pugu high school as a teacher, a profession he resigned in 1955 and retired to politics.

In 1954 he founded his political party TANU by uniting other smaller political groups tribal chiefs as a strategy to independence. In 1955 he was invited to give a speech at the commission of UNO, which made him even more popular politically. He became the first prime minister of the independent Tanganyika in 1961 and 1962 became president of the Republic of Tanganyika. Playing an important role Zanzibar became independent in 1963 and on 26^th April, 1964 the two countries under TANU and ASP parties united to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere still became the first president of the newly born united republic. As a president and politician pursued to create African socialism based on self reliance and equity which led to the Arusha declaration in 1967, a declaration that stood out to propagate “Ujamaa na Kujitegemea” as a political policy for the young republic, then being backed by Maoism in China. Colonial legacy, oil crisis of 1970’s, lack of investiment from outside, fall in price of agricultural products like sisal in the world market and the wounds of the war with Iddi Amin in 1978/79 led to the fall of Ujamaa na Kujitegemea in Tanzania. The expected became pipe dreams for Nyerere. However he took responsibility and resigned from politics in 1985. In his welcome address, passing the baton to his successor Ali Hassan Mwinyi, said bluntly: "I have failed. Let's face it. "

Mwalimu Nyerere died as a pensioner and a retired president on 14^th October, 1999. Few years later, in fact, at Butiama, where he was born, began the diocesan phase of the beatification of Julius Kambarage Nyerere, the father of Tanzania. Already in 21 January 2006 the Cardinal  Polycarp Pengo , Archbishop of Dar es Salaam , began the process of canonization of Nyerere. However the legitimate decision on the Catholic side to canonise him, created many concerns in the Tanzanian people of different religions to the impression that the Catholic Church wanted to monopolize the figure of "Father of the Fatherland." This is also evidenced in the will of Nyerere to be buried in the parish church of Butiama, which could not be possible. He is buried in a mausoleum, built near his house to allow all citizens, whatever their religion may be, to pay homage without the discomfort of being in a place of worship alien to their faith convictions.

The process will be long and may even end in a stalemate. This does not mean however that it is impossible, but rather a more unique than rare. Nyerere was known to be a good Catholic who apart from attending mass every day, he fought hard for the poor. He was a man of integrity and honest. He is an outstanding model among politicians to resign from politics in peace, an example of humility to acknowledge his mistakes. He lived a simple life, it is said that he never lived in a presidential palace, he wore simple clothes: with short sleeves. Nyerere had the courage to take responsibility and take the consequences, decided in 1985 to leave the presidency and retire to (partial) private life.