Tanzania is the "cradle of mankind" for it was here, in the Olduvai Gorge, that Dr Louis Leakey discovered the fossilised remains of Homo habilis, or "Handy man", calculated to be 1.75 million years old, the fore runner of modern man.
Tanzania was occupied by various African tribes most recently the Maasai from Kenya, who have retained their proud traditions.
Arab merchants visited the coast some 2,00 years ago and settled in Zanzibar around the eighth century AD later establishing trade routes into the interior. The inter-marriage of Arabs and local people created a new people with their own language-kiswahili (swahili) whose word for a journey - safari - has become the international description of a trip into the wild.
The Portuguese established temporary settlements in the 16th Century, supplanted by the Omanis in the late 17th century that developed the infamous slave trade.
The scramble for Africa by the European powers at the end of the 19th century led to occupation of the mainland by Germany although Zanzibar became a British protectorate.
Tanganyika, as the mainland was then known, achieved independence in 1961with Nyerere as the country's first President. Zanzibar become independence two years later and shortly afterwards joined with the mainland to become the United Republic of Tanzania.
But unity and a charismatic first president weren't
enough to overcome the country's basic lack of resources.
Nyerere's secret ingredient was radical socialism,
a brave concept considering the communist paranoia
of potential aid donors such as the USA. Under the
leader's Chinese-backed reforms, the economy was
nationalised, as were great swathes of rental properties
and the better-off were taxed heavily in an attempt
to redistribute wealth. |
The early 1960s saw Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda linked in an unlikely economic threesome, sharing a common airline, telecommunications facilities, transportation and customs. Their currencies became freely convertible and there were free and easy movements across borders. But predictable political differences brought such cosiness to a halt in 1997, leaving the Tanzanians worse off than ever.
Many factors have contributed to the woes of modern Tanzania and not all have been self-inflicted-it is, after all, one of the world's poorest countries. Even the incorporation of Zanzibar, once one of Africa's richest countries, has only made new problems. And adopting a multi-party political system doesn't seem to have helped much either. Zanzibar and the neighbouring island of Pemba have experienced violent unrest and political scare- mongering ever since an election stalemate on Zanzibar divided the islands.
Meanwhile, the mainland under President Benjamin Mkapa, has to cope with flood of Rwandan refugees fleeing fighting in their homeland. In late 1996 the Mkapa government issued a statement backed by the United Nations declaring that Rwandan refugees were to leave Tanzania. Amid reports of excessive force and rape, thousands still remain in Tanzania. In August 1998, terrorists bombed the US embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, killing over 250 people and injuring more than 5000.
Such tensions have not helped a country already destabilised by long-standing tribal friction, particularly among the Chagga (Mt Kilimanjaro region). It's unlikely Tanzania will dissolve into the tribal conflicts which have haunted neighbouring Rwanda and Kenya over the last few years, but political paralysis and deep rifts between minorities look set to stay with Tanzania for a long time yet.
The next presidential and legislative elections are scheduled for late 2000. While President Mkapa receives only muted approval from many Tanzanians, his government has distinguished itself in the international community with its commitment to fight corruption and with its steps towards financial austerity and reform.
Chances are high that this young nation will move smoothly into the 21st century, maintaining the stable and moderate outlook, which has characterised Tanzania development since independence. |
