Development as Rebellion: Julius Nyerere—A Biography by Issa G. Shivji, Saida Yahya-Othman, and Ng'wanza Kamata (review)

This book represents a monumental achievement. Over two decades after his passing in 1999, the figure of Julius Nyerere continues to dominate the political landscape of Tanzania. His photograph hangs alongside those of current presidents in offices, restaurants, and bars. Politicians invoke his memory and words in support of their own actions and agendas. Nyerere is no longer just Mwalimu, the "teacher," but also Baba wa Taifa, the "father of the nation." We are certainly not short of accounts of his life, which range from the sketches of foreign sympathizers during the heyday of ujamaa to the histories which are routinely told and retold in the contemporary Tanzanian press. However, there has hitherto been no full biography. Nyerere himself was resistant to such an initiative during his lifetime.

The publication of Development as Rebellion is therefore a landmark event. This boxed set comprises three individual volumes. Each is written by a "lead author," but represents the product of collaborative work. Although the volumes proceed in a roughly chronological order, they prioritize analytical treatment of key themes in Nyerere's life trajectory rather than offering the sort of blow-by-blow account often associated with the genre of biography. All three authors are openly sympathetic toward Nyerere but maintain a critical perspective. Based on a synthesis of secondary literature, extensive archival research in Tanzania and the United Kingdom, and interviews with eyewitness participants, Development as Rebellion is certainly no hagiography.

Book One, The Making of a Philosopher-Ruler, authored by Saida Yahya-Othman, begins with Nyerere's upbringing in Butiama, in northern Tanganyika. It traces the young Nyerere's journey through various tiers of education: primary school in Mwisenga, secondary school at the prestigious Tabora Boys, then university studies abroad at first Makerere and then Edinburgh. Yahya-Othman punctuates this story with reflections on Nyerere's evolving worldview—for example, in a discussion of his views about the place of women in society and the question of bridewealth. The volume then breaks away from this narrative to consider Nyerere's relationships with family and friends. This includes an assessment of the role of his personal assistant, Joan Wicken, who emerges as a loyal yet powerful gatekeeper figure at State House. The remainder of the book addresses Nyerere's intellectual life, such as his role in promoting Swahili as a national language and his often uneasy relationship with campus politics at the University of Dar es Salaam.

Becoming Nationalist, Ng'wanza Kamata's second volume, follows Nyerere's rise in anticolonial politics through the African Association and then the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU). Kamata emphasizes Nyerere's preference for a gradual transition from colonial rule in order to build confidence in his leadership among the British authorities and to avert the possibility of violence. Kamata shows how Nyerere's political acumen and rhetorical skills played a crucial role in navigating TANU through contentious issues surrounding party policy. Nyerere's leadership comes to the fore through in-depth discussion of major points of dissension, such as the controversial decision taken at the 1958 Tabora Conference to participate in multiracial elections, or the debates about citizenship on the eve of independence. The remainder of the volume offers an account of the army mutiny of January 1964, then deals adroitly with the Zanzibar Revolution and the subsequent union with the mainland that created the state of Tanzania. Kamata presents independence not as a moment of triumph, but rather as a time of uncertainty. Indeed, he is critical of Nyerere's "ideological deficiency" in failing to grasp the full implications of colonial domination and exploitation (78–79).

It is Nyerere's attempts to deal with the challenges of post-colonial development which form the central theme of Issa G. Shivji's concluding book, Rebellion without Rebels. Shivji...