The Development State: Aid, Culture and Civil Society in Tanzania by Maia Green

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Development State: Aid, Culture and Civil Society in Tanzania by Maia Green James Biedzynski Green, Maia. The Development State: Aid, Culture and Civil Society in Tanzania. Suffolk, UK: Boydall and Brewer, 2014. Development is a controversial topic in African studies. Many African nationalists blame European colonialism for distorting their respective economies and making them dependent on the global market. Others argue that Africa has never had a chance to develop its own economic strategy given the violence and corruption that erupted after independence. Whatever the case, one cannot understand contemporary Africa without looking at development. Maia Green, an anthropologist at the University of Manchester, provides the reader with an interesting, yet jargon-laden, account of how development has unfolded in Tanzania. Tanzania was colonized by Germans at the end of the nineteenth century. Known as German East Africa, it was the jewel of the German colonial empire. After World War I, the United Kingdom took control and ruled it as Tanganyika until 1961. Tanganyika was first a League of Nations Mandate and then a United Nations Trusteeship. Thus, it had more external supervision than many other [End Page 85] African colonies. After World War II, an indigenous nationalist movement pushed for independence, which was achieved in 1961. Following independence, Tanganyika merged with Zanzibar to produce the new state of Tanzania in 1964. Tanzania's first leader, Julius Nyerere, unveiled the Ujamaa path to social and economic development in 1967. The villagization of production, a key component of the Ujamaa plan, essentially collectivized all forms of local productive capacity. For many citizens, who were forced out of their old homes, this new system was as disruptive as some of the pre-1914 German practices. By 1985, it was apparent that the Ujamaa plan was a disaster and had to be abandoned. At that point, Tanzania shifted to a market-oriented economy. Green participated in several development projects in Tanzania over the past twenty years. Her accounts of the process cast doubt on whether development projects truly benefit Tanzania. For one thing, there is a limit to what any project can do. In addition, any project is enmeshed with the state and people seeking secure and well-paying government employment. Green reveals the difficulties involved when government officials get involved in development projects. The biggest winners in any development project are often the local and national bureaucracy. One might wonder if Tanzania would be better off with more privately-controlled development projects or simply letting the market grow the economy. That plan, however, would toss many public sector employees out of work. Tanzania aims to become a middle-income state, yet all of its development projects have failed to achieve that goal. Could it be that development managers and government are the problem? [End Page 86] Do Tanzanians expect too much from these people? An engaging and revealing aspect of Green's book is her treatment of witchcraft, which is rampant across the continent. Many Africans simultaneously believe in witchcraft and fear its powers. A large sector of Tanzania's health care system consists of faith healers and witches. It might be better to work with them rather than against them. British officials urged that approach before World War II. Perhaps it might be wise to revisit that approach. Green's book will leave many readers frustrated with the limits of development in Tanzania and the rest of Africa. One important question posed in the books concerns the level of outside involvement in the development process. Should the developed nations leave Africa to its own devices? Should the developed nations attempt to impose their definition of development on Tanzania? The Development State: Aid, Culture and Civil Society in Tanzania will generate a lively discussion on the confluence of culture and society on development projects in Tanzania. James Biedzynski Middlesex County College Copyright © 2016 Association of Global South Studies, Inc.