Posted
on October 14, 2014
Celebrating
Nyerere Day in Tanzania is a bit like celebrating George Washington
in the U.S., because Julius Nyerere was the first president of the
African nation and is considered Baba wa Taifa, or
Father of the Nation.
Nyerere
was a teacher who was born in Tanganyika and educated in Uganda and
Scotland. He helped form the Tanganyika African National Union, and
when the United Kingdom granted Tanganyika the rights to self-rule,
he became Chief Minister. In the early Sixties, Nyerere led his
nation to full independence and became its first president.
Soon
Tanganyika united with the nation of Zanzibar; the new nation was
named Tanzania, and Nyerere continued to serve as president. He was
elected and reelected and re-reelected – five times! – but nobody
ever ran against him!
Democracy in action? (Not quite.)
According to the folks at March Against Extinction, one rhino is killed
every nine hours and – even more shocking and horrifying – one
elephant is killed every fifteen minutes!!!
Some of the Washington, D. C., marchers chanted things like “E is for Elephant, not Extinction!” and “1, 2, 3, 4, ivory's what they're dying for...5, 6, 7, 8, stop
the trade, it's not too late!”
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on this date:
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ahead:
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