Some of the African hero-type names of Jesus Christ are "Axe That Fears No
Thistles, "Great Hero," "Hero Who Never Flees Before the Enemy," "One Who Wins Victories,Whom No One Dares to Confront," "Ram of the Mighty Sinews and Majestic
Carriage," "Tutelary Hero" and "Victor Over Death."  African folk history
(Africa’s Old Testament) has heroes and heroines such as Masala Kulangwa, Oganda
and Ssebwaato.  Contemporary African
Christian history has heroes such as Julius K. Nyerere, the first President of
the Republic of Tanzania and the "Father of the Nation."

    Julius Nyerere was
born in March, 1922 in Butiama Village near the eastern shore of Lake Victoria
in northwestern Tanzania.  Since the rains were very heavy on the day of his
birth he was called Kambarage, the name of an ancestral spirit who lives in the
rain.  His father was one of the eight chiefs of the Zanaki, a small ethnic
group of less than 50,000 people.  His mother Mugaya was the chief’s fifth
wife.  Kambarage grew up in a simple grass hut going barefoot and eating only
one meal a day.  At the age of eight he began tending his mother’s goats and
spent the whole day in the fields.

    Kambarage was very
fortunate to be able to go to primary boarding school in Musoma and then on to
the Tabora Government Secondary School in 1937.  He was a bright, inquisitive
youth.  In December, 1943 he was baptized a Roman Catholic at Nyegina Mission
Chapel taking the name Julius.  Later he spent two years at Makerere College,
Uganda and then returned to Tabora to teach at St. Mary’s Secondary School.  In
1949 he entered Edinburgh University and graduated with a Master of Arts in
history and economics in 1952. While doing teaching and pastoral work in Musoma,
he translated the New Testament into his ethnic language Zanaki. 

    In July, 1954 Nyerere
became a founding member of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU).  He
was elected a Member of Parliament in Tanganyika’s first elections in 1958 and
was returned unopposed in the second General Election in 1960. Following the
Constitutional Conference in May, 1961 he was sworn in as Prime Minister. Nyerere became the first President of the Republic of Tanganyika on December 9,
1962 and in April, 1964 the President of Tanzania (Union of Tanganyika and
Zanzibar).

    A charismatic leader,
Nyerere was the main architect of the Arusha Declaration in February, 1967 and
TANU’s policy on socialism and self-reliance.  He forged a national identity
through the national language of Swahili and grassroots political
consciousness.  He was always the teacher and animator and preferred the title
“Mwalimu” (Swahili for “Teacher”) as President of Tanzania.  He articulated the
philosophy and praxis of "Ujamaa” (Swahili for "Familyhood"), the basis of
Tanzania Socialism.  Unfortunately it never worked well as an economic system
and Nyerere’s years as president were hampered by drought and famine in
Tanzania, the war against Uganda in 1979 and uncontrollable forces in the world
economy (high price of oil, fluctuating price of Tanzanian export goods,
international debt crisis, etc.).

    Although strongly
criticized for his economic policies, Nyerere is praised for his vision of
Tanzania as a united and civilized society.  Over the years Tanzanians have been
imbued with a sense of national identity and unity and a sense of brotherhood
and sisterhood. This was achieved through developing Swahili as a national
language, evolving a national consciousness, minimizing ethnic group
differences, and promoting economic equality in general.  Throughout these hard
years Nyerere remained a man of high moral principles and a simple,
unpretentious lifestyle.  He said: “We have problems, but we remain cheerful.” 
He resigned as President in 1985 (at the time only the second active President
in Africa to do so) and as Chairperson of the sole political party Chama cha
Mapinduzi (CCM) in 1987.  He continued on the world scene as the Chairperson of
the South-South Commission and as an outspoken advocate of international
equality and justice.

   
Julius Nyerere was
a fervent Catholic throughout his life and even asked for his own key to St.
Peter’s Church in the Oyster Bay section of Dar es Salaam so he could pray early
in the morning before the celebration of the Eucharist.  He was a firm supporter
of religious freedom.  His high ideals have inspired several generations of
Tanzanians and people throughout the world.  He died on 14 October, 1999.   14
October is a National Holiday in Tanzania.  Julius Nyerere lives on as “the
Father of the Nation."