Mwalimu, 10 years after: Part IV

Malimu with (from left) President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, Josef Tito of Yugoslavia, Indira Prime Minister Gandhi of India, President Milton Obote of Uganda and Sir Tsretse Khama of Botswana

Recollections on President Julius Kambarage Nyerere

by Father Arthur H. Wille, M.M.
　
Many years later in the rectory in Butiama before a number of Tanzanian bishops he would introduce me to the bishops as his "boss." When Zanaki Parish in Musoma Diocese celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 1981 a very important guest was President Julius K. Nyerere who flew from Dar es Salaam for the occasion.

When the local people made a fuss over him Nyerere said: "Today the real Guest of Honor is not me, but the founder of this Zanaki Parish, Father Art Wille." He had a wonderful sense of humor. When Father Carroll Houle was pastor of Zanaki Parish (which originally included Butiama Outstation) he met President Julius Nyerere after he had just returned from a State Visit to India.

Carroll commented that while he had always liked India, the distinctive Hindu music hurt his ears. President Nyerere replied, "That's interesting because the singing of our Butiama Catholic Church Choir always hurts my ears." Nyerere also had an optimistic spirit. He said, "In Africa we have many problems but we remain cheerful."

We are a Family: Julius Kambarage Nyerere and Mama Nyerere with Indira Gandhi at her home, New Delhi, 31 March 1981; also seen are Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Maneka Gandhi

It did not take long for me once he started to teach me his language, Zanaki, to realize that he was the most intelligent person that I had ever met. In addition to teaching me each day in the rectory in Musoma town, he made up for me an English-Zanaki grammar and an English- Zanaki dictionary.

He would sometimes complain that he had been away from speaking his own language for so long that he had to ask his mother for certain words in Zanaki. He also translated from the Kwaya language two catechisms, two large explanations of the catechisms that the Missionaries of Africa had composed to help the catechists to teach the catechumens, and a hymnal into his Zanaki language. He also translated all the Sunday Epistles and Gospels.

In 1955 there was no good translation of the Bible in Swahili. He had to start using the Duoay-Rheims old English translation that was the only English Bible at that time. He found the old English difficult to handle. Therefore he asked me if he could use my Latin Missal. I asked him if he knew Latin. He said, "Yes, I had a year of it in the university." Then he continued to translate from Latin. One day he came and told me that he found some of St. Paul’s Epistles difficult to understand. He asked me if I had a Greek New Testament.

I asked him if he knew Greek. Again, "Yes, I had a year of it in the university." At this time he promised me that he would translate the whole New Testament from Greek if he was put in prison and if I could get him a Greek New Testament. He was concerned that he might be put in prison because of his involvement in bringing independence to Tanganyika. A number of other African leaders had been incarcerated when they led movements for independence. Fortunately he was never imprisoned.

Official portrait of Mwalimu and Mama Maria Nyerere

Mwalimu always attending mass at St. Peter's church in Dar es salaam

During these three months that Julius Nyerere taught me, Father Walsh, his close friend and mentor, came to visit him. Walsh confided to me that while Julius was studying in Edinburgh in Scotland that they corresponded regularly. In one of his letters Julius wrote that he was thinking about becoming a priest. Walsh wrote to him and asked him to give the reasons why he was thinking about being a priest.

Walsh told me that in summary his answer was that in the priesthood he could do a lot of good. Walsh who knew him well and knew his attraction for politics told him that he did not think he had a vocation to the priesthood, but should continue to follow the path for which he was preparing himself. Julius followed this advice of Father Walsh.
　
Another visitor who came to visit him was Oscar Kambona. At this time Oscar was the organizing secretary of TANU, the right hand man of Julius. Oscar was continually sending Julius telegrams and asking him to come to Dar es Salaam to begin the campaign for independence. It was evident to me that Julius was using this period to think out and plan what he wanted to do to gain independence. He told me that he had no doubt that the British would give independence to Tanganyika because of world opinion.

Mwalimu confers with his Foreign Minister John Samwel Malecela as Iddi Amin Daddah of Uganda delivers his speech at an OAU meeting in Addis Ababa

One day Julius mentioned to me that TANU had received 10 scholarships to universities behind the Iron Curtain. He did not want any of his followers to go behind the Iron Curtain, but knew that it would be impossible to stop his young followers from getting higher education.

He was especially concerned about Oscar Kambona. When he told me about this concern, I wrote to Father Albert Nevins, a Maryknoll priest at Maryknoll, New York to ask him to find a scholarship for Oscar Kambona. Fr. Nevins was the editor of our Maryknoll Magazine and has good connections.

He was able to get a scholarship to study law for Oscar at Fordham University, a Jesuit University in New York City. Julius was delighted to hear that there was a scholarship for Oscar Kambona in New York City. He informed Oscar. When Oscar went to get a passport, the British government refused to give him a passport. They told him that they would not give him a passport because he wanted to go behind the Iron Curtain. The Cold War was at its height.

Oscar told them that he did not want to go behind the Iron Curtain, but to Fordham University in New York City. When they heard this, they told him that if he wanted to go to a Western university, they would give him a scholarship to study in Britain. He had done very well in secondary school and should have been granted a government scholarship but according to Julius hadn’t been given one because in secondary school he had already gotten involved in politics.

Oscar and Julius chose that he go to Britain to study because British law was more suitable for him when he would return to Tanganyika. The time to begin his studies was also more convenient in England than in America. He took the scholarship to study law in England, but Julius was upset with him when he returned without a law degree. Oscar, instead of hitting the books, became involved with the members of Parliament and other politicians in England. Julius told him that the country needed lawyers to help formulate the new constitution and laws when they got independence.

One day when it was time for our noon break there was an old Zanaki woman waiting for me outside the rectory. Because I hadn’t learned that much Zanaki language, Julius went out with me to translate what the old woman had to say. She had just come from the government hospital.

She still had a number of bandages on her. She told us that she had been a omuganga -- a mgabu wazinza, a doctor who among the Zanaki discerns why a person is sick or any other evil that has come upon them.

However, another Zanaki omuganga had accused her of being a witch, one who causes evil to others. The people in her village came and beat her up severely. Her husband would not defend her. She was beaten so badly that she had to be taken to the hospital in Musoma town. She now said to us that she did not believe in her power of mgabu wazinza and wanted to become a Christian. I explained that when I went to build the mission, she could come to study and get baptized.

When I moved to begin the mission for the Zanaki people in Magorombe, she did come to study. One day she brought all her paraphernalia, some drums, gourds, skins, small iron rods, bells, etc. to me and asked me to destroy them for her. They filled a large sack. She herself was afraid to destroy them. I did burn them. She was a good catechumen and was baptized. She lived a good number of years and was a faithful and devoted Catholic until her death. She was also much involved in the parish

To be Continued Tomorrow...