<em>After 50 Years: The Promised Land Is Still Too Far! 1961–2011</em>, Ibrahim J. Werrema

Abstract

Reviewed by: After 50 Years: The Promised Land Is Still Too Far! 1961-2011 by Ibrahim J. Werrema Tom Hartley Werrema, Ibrahim J. 2012. After 50 Years: The Promised Land Is Still Too Far! 1961-2011. Dar-es-Salaam: Mkuki Na Nyota Press. 164 pp. $24.95 (paper). Fifty years after the jubilation of national independence, Tanzania has yet to forge its own distinctive path. In fact, its promised land may be even further on the horizon. This is the main contention of Ibrahim J. Werrema in After [End Page 168] 50 Years: The Promised Land Is Still Too Far! 1961-2011, a publication that builds upon the author's earlier work, Tanzanians to the Promised Land. The new publication, with updated research, brings Tanzanian history right up to the present day, including a critique of the Kikwete administration of President Jakaya Kikwete, now in his seventh year in office. Werrema writes without any apparent academic or political affiliation, and this is arguably the book's greatest strength. He offers his views as a "contribution to the common good, if any, of our nation" (p. xii). The work, therefore, takes on a tone reminiscent of the optimism in the face of adversity that characterized African writing in the early days of independence. To a large extent, it offers a whirlwind tour through Tanzania's postindependence history, beginning with a chronological approach to the nation's presidents and politics and opening up to a thematic discussion of what the author believes are the key elements in Tanzanian development. Many would relate the successes and failures of independent African nations to their former colonial masters, but Werrema, to his credit, does not fall into this trap. Where a connection can be made between colonial and postcolonial institutions and its impact judged, he does so subtly and fairly. This is an Afrocentric book, focusing on problems inherent to Tanzania and offering African solutions. Likewise, Tanzania's key political figures are judged on their own merits, with the successes and failures of each of Tanzania's first three presidents and their administrations being given careful consideration. Not even the government of President Julius K. Nyerere, whose reverential treatment is highlighted repeatedly by Werrema (for example on p. 15), is excused from critical reflection. The main part of the book is devoted to themes within Tanzanian history: social services, the economy, culture, religion, and the political situation, with a concise chapter devoted to each. It is, of course, difficult to cover fifty years of the elements these themes involve in little over one hundred pages, and Werrema is often apologetic for this, yet he successfully covers the most important topics in sufficient depth, for both the target audience of young Tanzanians and interested outsiders. The influence of his research becomes more distinct in these sections, with extensive use of charts, tables, and reports, and this helps give the piece a more authoritative tone; however, it is perhaps when offering suggestions for improvement that the work falls flat, as Werrema's own ideas for resolving the problems he addresses are sparse. While this gives the reader the opportunity to form a personal view, Werrema does not achieve his aim of defining or suggesting remedies for his country, and the overwhelming thought at the end of each chapter is one of missed opportunity. It is in the final chapter, "The New Era" (pp. 144-162), that Werrema brings his research into the present with a discussion of the nation's fortunes under the Kikwete administration. The chapter demonstrates the reasons behind this sequel to his first book, as it explains the adapted title. Having spoken in largely optimistic terms in the first part of the book, Werrema in this chapter offers a retrospective epilogue, which is more critical of the [End Page 169] direction in which the country is going. The promised land is still too far away, and Werrema highlights further changes that have added to Tanzania's difficulties. Despite Kikwete's popularity, especially when Kikwete first assumed office, Werrema argues that the population's trust in politicians has finally died out. Tanzania's population has grown considerably, but there are few newcomers in Tanzanian politics...