Quotable Quotes Of Mwalimu Julius K Nyerere: Collected from Speeches and Writings

Section B: Non-Alignment

ON FOREIGN RELATIONS 81 SECTION B: NON-ALIGNMENT “...it can be stated quite categorically that no part of Africa will ever become a duplicate copy of any part of Europe.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 116 “...we shall be working out a new synthesis, a way of life that draws from Europe as well as Africa, from Islam as well as Christianity, from communalism and individualism.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 116 “Africa’s vital contribution to the world at this stage of history must be to welcome new ideas freely and openly, and then to use them.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 122 “One of the greatest dangers facing us in Africa is the temptation to stop thinking about an idea because the label ‘imperialist’ or ‘Communist’ has been attached to it.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 122 82 CHAPTER 4 “...the success or otherwise of this Second Scramble depends on us; on whether we allow ourselves to become dupes of other people – or of the slogans we used in our struggle for freedom from colonialism.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 205206 “Two major power blocs now exist, neither of which can destroy the other without itself being destroyed, and both of which are for the present powerful enough to prevent other nations expanding to challenge them in importance.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 271 “This is what independence means – not the right to a flag, or a seat at the United Nations, but the right to determine our own policies in the light of the interests of the United Republic, and of Africa, and of world peace.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 314 “But we did not struggle for our independence in order to sell it to the highest bidder. Our internal affairs, and our international stand on world issues must both be determined by us.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 314 ON FOREIGN RELATIONS 83 “Not even for the sake of our national security or our economic development can we allow our nation to succumb to outside control – direct or indirect.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 314 “We have no enemies, and we do not want them. And we are not prepared to let other people fight their enemies in our country.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 314 "Do not let us imagine that this will be easy. The world is divided into various conflicting groups, and each one of these groups is anxious for allies in Africa, and even more anxious that its opponent shall not find friends.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 314 “We wish to be friendly with all and we will never allow our friends to choose our enemies for us.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 323324 84 CHAPTER 4 “...we have a saying in East Africa; when elephants fight it is the grass which gets crushed. We have therefore determined to adopt a policy of non – alignment in relation to international conflicts which do not concern us. Where there are hostile blocs facing each other on the world stage Tanzania will ignore the threats or blandishments from both sides, and pursue her own interests.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 323 “We shall see for ourselves what are China’s intentions towards us. We shall not be told by others.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 324 “...‘non–alignment’... It really means trying to be friends with all and not quarrelling with one half of the world in order to seek a security with the other half.” FREEDOM AND UNITY: 329 “It is not intelligent to reject an accolade from the West on democracy in order to seek one from the East on socialism.” FREEDOM AND SOCIALISM: 20 ON FOREIGN RELATIONS 85 “Tanzania does not need a certificate of approval about its internal policies from any outside group. The only approval our policies need is the approval of the Tanzanian people.” FREEDOM AND SOCIALISM: 21 “Frankly I find this anxiety about the health of Tanzania sometimes funny, sometimes irritating, and always odd.” FREEDOM AND SOCIALISM: 51 “…Africans are not European, could not become European, and do not want to become European. They demand instead the right to be Africans in Africa, and to determine their own cultural, economic, and political future.” FREEDOM AND SOCIALISM: 145 “We have declared that we wish to build our economy on the basis of the equality of all citizens, and have specifically rejected the concept of creating a class system where one group of people owns the means of production for...