Nyerere Day in Tanzania

Julius Kambarage Nyerere (Boutiama, April 13, 1922-London, October 14, 1999) was a Tanzanian professor and politician, founder and first president of the present-day United Republic of Tanzania from October 29, 1964, when Tanganyika was unified with Zanzibar, until November 5, 1985. Previously, he had ruled the British colony of Tanganyika as chief minister from 1960 until its independence in 1961 as a Commonwealth Monarchy, and then as prime minister until the country became a presidential republic on June 9, 1962, after which he was elected president with more than 99% of the vote. He presided over Tanganyika until the formation of the modern Tanzanian state, of which he remained president. He was a founding member of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), which served as the sole party of Tanganyika from shortly after Nyerere assumed power until 1977, when he founded the Party of the Revolution (Chama Cha Mapinduzi), which he presided over until 1990. Ideologically, an African nationalist and African socialist, Nyerere promoted a political philosophy known as Ujamaa. He is venerated in the Catholic Church, having been declared a Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI, His feast day is celebrated every year on October 14.