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The Daily OrangeTanzanian diplomat honors former leader with personal stories
By Ben Eisenstein
Posted: 10/15/09, 2:55 AM EST Section: News
With African music playing, the rich smell of Indian delicacies and historic photographs surrounding him, U.N. Ambassador Augustine Mahiga commemorated the death of the founding president of Tanzania.
Mahiga was the keynote speaker at Wednesday's commemorative lecture on the life of Julius Nyerere. The lecture took place Wednesday night in room 304A in the Schine Student Center. Horace Campbell, a longtime friend of Mahiga's and an African American studies and political science professor, also spoke.
Though his name is unknown to many Westerners, Nyerere was seen as one of the most prolific pan-African leaders, Mahiga said. Nyerere died 10 years ago Wednesday.
Mahiga paid tribute to Nyerere and his key areas of work, which include his leadership, emphasis on education for self-reliance and plans for African unity.
He spoke in admiration of Nyerere's kind leadership and intelligence - life lessons Mahiga will hold on to as he continues work at the United Nations.
Mahiga first met Nyerere as a young university student in Tanzania. Students protested Nyerere's visit, upset by his socialist polices. Nyerere's response was a calm offer to cut his own government salary in half. He followed through on the promise, a common act for the late president.
In Mahiga's 50-minute speech, he reminded the audience of the historic relationship SU has with Tanzania. The first professor of political science in Tanzania was an SU alumnus, and the university boasts an "impressive list of famous African leaders who all studied in these halls," Mahiga said.
Campbell, the African American studies and political science professor, also spoke at the lecture. Campbell met Mahiga while studying at the University of Toronto in Canada.
Campbell first became interested in Nyerere while in Toronto. He heard the president telling the audience that one day, apartheid would collapse. For Campbell, this was a call to action.
Campbell then spoke of the "the best time of his life," studying and living in Tanzania for six years at the University of Dar es Salaam, the oldest and largest university in Tanzania.
Wilbert Mahenge, a graduate assistant from the Africa Initiative, and a native Tanzanian, began his tribute to Nyerere by singing two songs in Swahili. Campbell and Mahiga smiled and mouthed the familiar words to the second song, which was about the unification of Tanzania.
Mahenge also touched on his life growing up in the last years before Nyerere retired in 1985. He said Nyerere's policies of African socialism made education and health care free to all Tanzanians.
"I was lucky that I didn't have to pay for a while," he said. "But when Nyerere left, I immediately knew he was good, even as a child, because I was able to learn for free."
bzeisens@syr.edu
Mahiga was the keynote speaker at Wednesday's commemorative lecture on the life of Julius Nyerere. The lecture took place Wednesday night in room 304A in the Schine Student Center. Horace Campbell, a longtime friend of Mahiga's and an African American studies and political science professor, also spoke.
Though his name is unknown to many Westerners, Nyerere was seen as one of the most prolific pan-African leaders, Mahiga said. Nyerere died 10 years ago Wednesday.
Mahiga paid tribute to Nyerere and his key areas of work, which include his leadership, emphasis on education for self-reliance and plans for African unity.
He spoke in admiration of Nyerere's kind leadership and intelligence - life lessons Mahiga will hold on to as he continues work at the United Nations.
Mahiga first met Nyerere as a young university student in Tanzania. Students protested Nyerere's visit, upset by his socialist polices. Nyerere's response was a calm offer to cut his own government salary in half. He followed through on the promise, a common act for the late president.
In Mahiga's 50-minute speech, he reminded the audience of the historic relationship SU has with Tanzania. The first professor of political science in Tanzania was an SU alumnus, and the university boasts an "impressive list of famous African leaders who all studied in these halls," Mahiga said.
Campbell, the African American studies and political science professor, also spoke at the lecture. Campbell met Mahiga while studying at the University of Toronto in Canada.
Campbell first became interested in Nyerere while in Toronto. He heard the president telling the audience that one day, apartheid would collapse. For Campbell, this was a call to action.
Campbell then spoke of the "the best time of his life," studying and living in Tanzania for six years at the University of Dar es Salaam, the oldest and largest university in Tanzania.
Wilbert Mahenge, a graduate assistant from the Africa Initiative, and a native Tanzanian, began his tribute to Nyerere by singing two songs in Swahili. Campbell and Mahiga smiled and mouthed the familiar words to the second song, which was about the unification of Tanzania.
Mahenge also touched on his life growing up in the last years before Nyerere retired in 1985. He said Nyerere's policies of African socialism made education and health care free to all Tanzanians.
"I was lucky that I didn't have to pay for a while," he said. "But when Nyerere left, I immediately knew he was good, even as a child, because I was able to learn for free."
bzeisens@syr.edu
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