MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS.

 

The annual ‘end-of-the year’ festive season has arrived, when Christians all over the world, and all other believers in God, will celebrate Christmas on Monday next week. I therefore take this opportunity to wish all our esteemed reads, a merry Christmas 2023; and a happy and prosperous new year, 2024.
        President Samia has directed that in order to bring this historic national event closer to the people, this year’s UHURU day celebrations will be held at Regional level, with activities which will involve the people’s participation. She also directed that the UHURU anniversary event should be marked by the launching of the process of collecting views from citizens regarding the next 25-year Development Vision, 2025 – 2050; a glittering function which was held in the capital city, Dodoma, marking the 62nd UHURU Day anniversary, and presided over by President Samia herself.
Welcome back home, Dr. Phillip Mpango.
Welcome back home Mr. Vice President and thank you very much for giving a severe tongue lashing to the social media rumour mongers. It was indeed great, to hear you saying “I am fit, I am safe, and in good health”. Because, as the wise saying goes:” Speak the truth and shame the devil”; you have effectively “shamed” those social media devils, who treasonably invented the false news of your premature death, but which was a dirty falsehood. I therefore hope and pray that the culprits will be apprehended, exposed, and punished appropriately, in accordance with the laws of the land.                Some of us did not believe the malicious falsehoods that were circulating in the social media, particularly myself; just because during the period of the Vice President’s absence, I managed to contact his personal staff, who had accompanied him on his assignment outside the country. This was in connection with our arrangement that he was going to be the ‘Guest of Honour’ at a fund raising function arranged by Bishop Simon Masondole of Bunda Diocese, which includes Ukerewe, on 11th  November, 2023.  That is when I was informed that the Vice President had travelled out of the country.   I then suggested that he be requested to appoint another leader to represent him at the agreed function, which the Vice President immediately did.                                                          

        But even the idea of the Vice President dying, and the government deliberately withholding that information from the public, was so absurd, that no sensible person would believe such fiction.  However, there were some who did, and were greatly perturbed.                                                                                              Back to today’s topic.

The Christmas festive season appears to be an appropriate time for telling local stories related to Christmas. And I happen to have two short stories connected therewith, that I consider worth telling. One is in relation to Mwalimu Nyerere’s ‘encumbered’ journey to Christianity; while the other is on ‘how the Christmas festival season finally determined the date of Tanganyika’s independence day’.          

         I believe they will form a logical follow up on the ‘UHURU day’ stories that I narrated in this column last week. These new stories will be the main focus of today’s presentation. I know for a fact, that Mwalimu Nyerere, was an ardent catholic throughout his life. But, surprisingly, his journey to becoming a Catholic, was ‘encumbered’ by the circumstances of the times in which he lived. These were that he was born and brought up in a pagan family and was surrounded by a pagan community. In these circumstances, according to the records, he was baptized rather late in his life, on 23rd December, 1943, after he had reached the age of more than 21 years.

        However, the most notable ‘encumbering’ aspect of his journey to becoming a catholic, was that it was accompanied by words or actions which could be considered as ‘bordering on heresy’; because during his earlier days before he was baptized, he strongly challenged some of the catholic church aspects. Most of this information is to be found in Nyerere’s Biography, compiled by Issa Shivji; Saida Yahya Othman; and Ng’wanza Kamata. (Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, Dar es Salaam); wherein it is stated (Vol I, page 52), that:- “His later piety belies the resistance he showed in his teenage years, when he sought explanations and justifications for the Christian God. He lamented the regimentation of the church, and its rigid hierarchical system, its siding with the rich and powerful, and its objectification of man by not treating him as a member of society capable of taking action and ‘rebelling’ in order to achieve his development”.  

        But he bowed down to it, going to church every morning, never travelling without his Bible, and observing all the religious rituals built on this same hierarchy”. It is also stated on that page, that “The Maryknoll Sisters, with whom he had developed a very close, even intimate relationship, were ‘startled’ by the fact that he was a daily ‘communicant’; which was not a common practice among lay believers”.                                

         But there were other startling things that Nyerere did later after he was baptized; such as his undertaking of the astonishing feat, and very onerous task, of translating the entire ‘New Testament’ section  of the Holy Bible into Kiswahili.  His translations were subsequently published by Benedictine Publications, Ndanda-Peramiho; titled “Utenzi wa Enjili”.  
       “His later piety” mentioned above, refers to his exemplary religious life which he lived throughout all his years, until he died, which is what must have encouraged the catholic church in Tanzania to embark on the process for his beatification. And, in that particular connection,  I was only recently extremely delighted,  when I received the news that I have been selected and included on the list of three ‘key persons who knew him closely”, to be interviewed by the Vatican committee that has   been set up “to make inquiries regarding  his religious life here on earth”, in search of evidence that could qualify him for advancement  elevated from his present status of “Mtumishi wa Mungu”, to the next higher status of “Mwenye Heri”;  in the long process to the sainthood.                                                        

How the Christmas festive season determined Tanganyika’s date of independence,
Celebrating Christmas as a family event, is a very old Christian tradition. And for England, which, by English common law, and convention, is a Christian country, whose King or Queen must be a follower of the Anglican church. A sixteenth century English Judge, Mathew Hale (1609 – 76); is on record as having said that “Christianity is part of the Common Law of England”.                                                       
    It is this strong British tradition that led to Tanganyika’s independence being celebrated on an earlier date than was originally agreed. Here is the juicy gossip: -
        The date of Tanganyika’s independence was initially decided at a “Tanganyika Independence Constitutional Conference”, which was held at Karimjee Hall, Dar es Salaam; from 27th to 29th March, 1961. The holding of such “constitutional conferences” was standard British government practice, and an essential part of the process of negotiations for the granting independence to the relevant country. But they were always held at Lancaster House in London.                                              
    Thus, the fact that the British government agreed to hold the Tanganyika constitutional conference outside London, was a notable exception to that general rule. The uniform purpose of holding these conferences was to determine two important issues. One was the constitution of the new independent country. The other was the date on which that country was to be granted independence; and they were always chaired by a representative of the British government, i.e. the governing authority.                        

         I had the good fortune of being appointed one of a handful of officials who were assigned to serve in the administration of that conference, and I still have some vivid memories of that event.
The first item of the agenda, namely the constitution of independent Tanganyika, was disposed of fairly quickly. This was because the leader of the Tanganyika delegation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, was of the view that the British representatives had no right to make decisions on the contents of an independent country’ constitution, and that Tanganyika would design its own constitution after it becomes independent.                                                  

         His greatest interest was regarding the date of independence.  He had promised his political party TANU, that he would do all he can to ensure that Tanganyika becomes independent BEFORE the end of the year 1961 (hence the placard “complete independence 1961, which he proudly displayed during the joyful procession from Karimjee Hall through the streets of Dares Salaam, immediately after the closing of that conference). The date which was agreed at that Conference and later announced by the Conference Chairman, the British government’s ‘Secretary of State for the colonies’ Ian MacLeod, was 28th December, 1961.

        Nonetheless, as everybody knows, Tanganyika’s independence was granted on 9th December, 1961. The reason why the agreed date of 28th December was changed to 9th December, is the core of this story; The only reason for that change, was that the 28th of December falls right in the middle of the Christmas and New year festival season.                                                                  

        The British delegation at the Karimjee conference, had apparently overlooked this fact, or it probably seemed to them to be irrelevant to Tanganyika’s independence. Plus, the fact that at that early stage, no one knew exactly who would be selected by Her Majesty the Queen, to represent her at the Independence celebration functions.                                                                           

        Thus, when Queen Elizabeth II selected her own husband, Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, to represent her at the celebrations, the date of 28th December became inconvenient for the Royal family, in the sense that the Royal family would be  separated during that all-important Christmas/New year festival season, with the Queen being in London, while her husband was far away in Tanganyika. This was unacceptable. The date had to be changed. 

        Mwalimu Nyerere was consulted. His reaction was that provided independence was granted before the end of December 1961, it did not matter which other convenient date was selected, but for him, ‘the earlier the better’. The first proposal was the 20th of December, 1961, but, apparently, this was also found to be unsuitable, for some reason. That is when 9th December was proposed, and accepted, by both sides.                      

          However, Nyerere, himself being a very devout catholic, he personally attached significant importance to the Christmas festive season, as evidenced by his later actions. For soon after winning the struggle for the country’s freedom from colonialism, and assuming the country’s Presidency, he quickly developed the habit of “going home” to his Butiama village, every year, to enjoy the Christmas festive season with his people there.

        And I have my own little gossip in connection with President Nyerere’s annual ‘Christmas pilgrimages’ to Butiama. It was during the Christmas season of December, 1974; when, just before his departure to Butiama, I was summoned to his Msasani residence in Dar es Salaam; to be told that he was planning to shift me from the Vice Chancellorship of the University of Dares Salaam, to the Ministry of  Defence as Permanent Secretary. He therefore wanted me to recommend a suitable person who will replace me at the University. I had to travel to Butiama to give him my recommendation; but then, his response was he had changed his mind, and that I would remain at the University. 
piomsekwa@gmail.com /0754767576.

Source: Cde Msekwa.