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Arusha Declaration
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The Arusha Declaration was made by Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere on 5 February, 1967, outlining the principles of Ujamaa (Nyerere's vision of socialism) to develop the nation's economy. The declaration called for an overhaul of the economic system, through African socialism and self-reliance in locally administered villages through a villagization program.
The villagization program, implemented in 1973-76, sought to transform the pattern of rural settlement by congregating the rural population-which previously had been resident predominantly on dispersed family smallholdings-in nucleated villages of sufficient size to be efficient (in bureaucratic terms) units for the delivery of services.
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Encyclopedia
The Arusha Declaration was made by Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere on 5 February, 1967, outlining the principles of Ujamaa (Nyerere's vision of socialism) to develop the nation's economy. The declaration called for an overhaul of the economic system, through African socialism and self-reliance in locally administered villages through a villagization program.
The villagization program, implemented in 1973-76, sought to transform the pattern of rural settlement by congregating the rural population-which previously had been resident predominantly on dispersed family smallholdings-in nucleated villages of sufficient size to be efficient (in bureaucratic terms) units for the delivery of services. Involved in this plan was the idea that the new villages could also become the basis for a socialist system of production.
One important element in the evaluation of the Arusha vision depends on interpretation of the degree of consistency between policies implemented and intentions, as stated in the declaration. Particularly in the period beginning in 1972, policies were implemented that
arguably were inconsistent with the positions developed in the Arusha Declaration. The formulation of the Basic Industrial Strategy involved a definite shift from the priority given to rural development in the declaration. There was increasing centralization of economic authority and urgency in the implementation of programs. The attempt to enforce the villagization ("Ujamaa Villages") program over two years, the abolition of cooperatives and local government, and the commitment to achieve universal primary education in two years all reflected an impatience to achieve political goals swiftly, even if it meant the loss of the principle of decentralized
participatory rural development associated with the Arusha Declaration rhetoric and downplaying realism in the implementation of policies. At the same time, the emphasis on the ascendancy of politics-and politicians-over the bureaucracy and workers' participation in the management of state enterprise seemed to incorporate a heightened political radicalism, although at the expense of weakening the self-confidence and role of technocrats.
It is ironic that the regional commissioners charged with collectivization of the farms, for "egalitarian" purposes, following the Arusha Declaration enriched themselves at the farmers expense.
Politically and socially the declaration was hugely unpopular. In 1974 Operation Dodoma forced collectivization of farming with the use of the military. Following the murder of Klerru, a regional commission who sezied all of a Mr's Mwanwindi's land in 1975 and the public attention to the trial the collectivism of the Arusho Declaration finally ended. It was a complete failure and only plunged Tanzania into further debt, a crisis in its balance of payments deficits and worsened relations with international donors.
Excerpt From the Arusha Declaration
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