Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
for his commitment to pan-Africanism and for his regional engagement - an
area where he was active until his death in October 1999.
Despite criticisms of his authoritarian style and economic policies, Nyerere
was indisputably one of Africa's most influential leaders, and the person almost
single-handedly responsible for putting Tanzania on the world stage. He was
widely acclaimed for his long-standing opposition to South Africa's apartheid
system, and for his 1979 invasion of Uganda, which resulted in the deposition of
the dictator Idi Amin Dada.
In his later years, Nyerere assumed the role of elder statesman, serving as the
chief mediator in the Burundi conflict of 1996. He died in 1999 and was buried
in his home village of Butiama, where many of his manuscripts, photos and oth-
er memorabilia are on display at the Nyerere Museum.
