President Nyerere, Tanzania's first post-colonial leader, ran a mostly socialist economy during the 60s and 70s.  Banks and large industry were nationalised, and collectivisation in the agricultural sector occurred. Explicit allegiance was made to the East during the Cold War. However, he incorporated into his policies what he saw as pre-colonial pan-African values. For example he encouraged the Ujamaa, or extended family, to be the basic unit of social and economic life. The Ujamaa of Mwalimu (teacher) Nyerere became the defining feature of post-colonial Tanzania.

However, by 1979 Tanzania's economy was in rapid decline. Ujamaas accounted for 90% of Tanzania's rural population but only 5% of its agricultural output. With the end of the Cold War, and with the retirement of Nyerere in 1985, Tanzania was compelled to opened up its economy and accept aid from the IMF and the World Bank. Despite this, the collective, humanist principles behind Nyerere's policies have directly influenced contemporary Tanzanian culture. The country has never suffered the same political ethnic splintering as occurred in her neighbours Kenya and Uganda.  However, Tanzania remains a very poor country - per capita income being in the lowest 10% globally.

Tanzania is a vast country of great archaeological and environmental significance. It is believed to be one of the world’s oldest locations for human habitation, with human and humanoid fossils dating back over 200 million years. The Selous game reserve in the South East of the country is one of the largest of its kind in the world covering an area of over 21,000 square miles. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 due to the diversity of its wildlife and undisturbed nature. Tanzania also includes the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar – brought into the Federation in 1964. This Indian ocean island displays beautiful Arab-influenced architecture best exemplified in the capital and tourist nexus – Stone town.

Reccommended readings (available at RAS bookstore)

John Iliffe: A modern history of Tanzania

Michael Jennings - Surrogates of the State: NGOs, development, and Ujamaa in Tanzania

Jamie Monson - Africa’s Freedom Railway: How a Chinese development project changed lives and livelihoods in Tanzania

Abdulrazak Gurnah – By the sea and Paradise

RAS meetings on Tanzania

9 Nov 2010, Tanzania's Elections 2010

RAS Analysis

Erick Kabendera - Tanzania: a quietly divided nation

Richard Dowden - Tanzania elections 2010: a dangerous bubble

Richard Dowden - How Britain makes tanzania poorer and more corrupt

Key facts

Useful links

Columbia University - Tanzania Internet resources on Tanzania from Columbia University.

UPenn - Tanzania Country-specific internet resources from the University of Pennsylvania African Studies centre.

Government Links Links to every government related site on the web. The database includes national & regional institutions, representations abroad, political parties and additional information such as political resources, tourism, and human rights sites.

Kidon Media Link - Tanzania Links to newspapers and other media sources in various languages.

Columbia links for TanzaniaAfrican Studies internet resources from Columbia University.

East African Community Online The East African Community is an inter-governmental organisation currently comprising of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The EAC aims at enhancing co-operation among partner states by establishing a Customs Union, a Common Market, and ultimately a Political Federation.

Kamusi ProjectThe Kamusi Project is a collaborative work by people all over the world. The aim is to establish new dictionaries and learning resources for the Swahili language.

Kidon Media Link - TanzaniaLinks to newspapers and other media sources in various languages.

SARPN - Tanzania
Southern African Reagional Poverty Network: research and analysis of poverty issues.

Sukuma MuseumThe Sukuma Museum is a community based organization that promotes and celebrates the traditional and contemporary arts of the Sukuma culture

Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP) TGNP has been operational since 1993 as a registered NGO. During this period the NGO has built itself into an effective pressure group which promotes gender positive activism.

The East AfricanWeekly newspaper covering the East African Region.

University of Dar es SalaamOfficial website of the most important university in the country.