TANGANYIKA CELEBRATE 52 YRS OF INDIPENDENCE

It was  Royal Highness Prince Philip presides on the day Tanganyika attained her Independence on December 9, 1961 in Dar es salaam, with the late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere being the first Prime Minister of Tanganyika.

Tanganyika celebrated 52 years of independence Monday (December 9th) but a number of scholars have criticised the government for not doing more to eliminate poverty among citizens.ccording to Honest Ngowi, an economics professor at Mzumbe University, Tanzania's gross domestic product (GDP) is growing at 7% annually, but the economic situation for many Tanzanians is deteriorating.

"We have to make sure the growth of our economy is reducing poverty for individuals, and especially ordinary people,, adding that Tanzania enjoys political freedom but not economic independence, which is fundamental for social development.

Gaudence Mpangala, a political science professor at the University of Dar es Salaam, agreed.

He say that the data Tanzania shows to international partners and donors gives the impression that the country's economy is steadily improving, but in reality poor citizens are not seeing the benefits.

Benson Banna, a social science professor at the University of Dar es Salaam, commended the government for sustaining peace and harmony for the past 52 years, but said more investment is needed in education and leaders have to change from being planners to implementers.

"Our leaders talk too much," Banna told Sabahi. "The time has come now for our leaders to be action oriented [rather] than keeping on talking. This is the only way to achieve tangible development for our country."

Tanganyika gained independence from Britain on December 9, 1961,and formed Union with Zanzibar .Right now, the  country finds itself at a moment of transition and great uncertainty. Our politics lacks a sense of direction or grand ideological vision anchoring us forward. Our leaders seem to be making it up as they go along. Our knowledge of our history is fragmented and rooted in skewed nostalgic visions of the past. Our cultural identity is confused, informed more by foreign forms than any sense of a local aesthetic. To be a contemporary Tanzanian at the moment is to be a person of great potential unclear about what the future holds for him.I think there is a challenge right now of galvanizing the people to reflect on the past 52 years. We do remember the good times but are constantly reminded about the bad. We have immense challenges and, as the saying goes, do Tanzanians feel they are better off today than they were ten years ago, let alone 52 years ago? The answer is probably no. I think instead of being nostalgic about the good old days we should really look inside ourselves, both the mwananchi and the leadership and interrogate how we can build a better tomorrow. This is because I think the majority of us are concerned about what the next  years will look like.