Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nyerere grew dismayed by what he saw as the development of an elite urban class in Tan-
zania. In 1966, a group of University of Dar es Salaam students marched to the State House
in their academic gowns to protest the compulsory National Service the government had
introduced. It required all university graduates to spend two years working in rural areas
following their graduation. Nyerere was livid. 'I shall take nobody - not a single person -
into this National Service whose spirit is not in it… So make your choice….I'm not going
to spend public money to educate anybody who says National Service is a prison… Is this
what the citizens of this country worked for?…What kind of country are we building?'
He ordered the students home to their rural areas for an indefinite period, which ended
up being five months. Before they left, he declared that, as an example to the educated elite,
he was going to cut his own salary - and those of all senior government officials - by 20%,
which he did.
