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In the early 1960s, approximately 1000 settlements emerged spontaneously throughout rural
Tanzania in response to President Julius Nyerere’s call for formation of socialist Ujamaa
villages. It should be noted that the Ujamaa villages focused in this study were those known as
Ujamaa pilot villages in which people organized themselves in communal production villages
soon after Tanganyika achieved her independence as an early practice of Ujamaa. Majority of
such villages collapsed after the first couple of years. However, a few genuinely socialist
communities emerged and prospered, the most successful of such villages were in Southern
Highland of Tanzania where seventeen villages formed a democratic co-operative organization
called the Ruvuma Development Association (RDA). Its objectives were to co-ordinate their
activities, to educate their children, to market their produce and to specialize in various cottage
industries. In 1967 Nyerere used the RDA as a model for nation’s rural development programme.
However, such villages’ democracy and autonomy was a great threat to legitimacy of many who
held powerful positions within the ruling Party and the government. In 1969, the RDA was
declared a prohibited organization, its assets were confiscated and further activities were
suppressed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of banning the RDA in
1969 to development of Ujamaa in Ruvuma region.
The main objective of the study was to investigate the impact of banning the RDA on
development of Ujamaa in Ruvuma region. Specific objectives of the study included to identify
aims for establishing the RDA, to examine the contribution of RDA to development of Ujamaa
in the region, to identify factors that led to ban of the RDA in 1969, to assess local people’s
response to banning the RDA and to provide suggestions on proper ways in addressing socio economic challenges. The study was undertaken at Litowa, Liweta and Matetereka villages of
Songea District and also Mtakanini and Njalamatata villages in Namtumbo District. This study
involved respondents from the following categories: former members of the RDA as key
informants. Also, it involved former pupils who studied at Litowa RDA primary school, retired
primary school teachers who taught in the RDA village schools from its inception 1960s-1970s,
long servicing primary school teachers currently teaching in the study villages and District
officers. The study involved a case study strategy that employed qualitative research approach.
Questionnaire, interview guides, focus group discussion and documentary review were used as
data collection methods.
The study revealed that banning the RDA affected development of Ujamaa in Ruvuma region.
Majority argued in favor of the RDA and a few in favor of its banning. However, according to
both archival and oral accounts, it was noted that banning the RDA affected development of
Ujamaa in Ruvuma region because after banning the RDA, majority of people in Ruvuma region
turned reluctant to Ujamaa ideology. The study on the impact of banning the RDA on
development of Ujamaa is useful in many ways: Results from the study will help to expand
existing knowledge of the RDA as an important mechanism in the history of Ujamaa in Ruvuma
region and the country at large. Also, findings from the study will help to stimulate interest,
research and discussion on impacts of banning the RDA on the development of Ujamaa because
there a lot is unknown about the RDA and its relation to Ujamaa. On top of that, study results
will be useful to various stakeholders, historians, policy makers, development planners and local
communities in Ruvuma region and the country as a whole. |
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