50 years of Independence

Dec 9, 2011 by Julia Bishop

Tanzanians are proudly celebrating 50 years of independence today.

After several decades, Tanganyika gained its independence from Britain to become The United Republic of Tanzania. Julius Nyerere, known as Baba wa Taifa (Father of the Nation), was influential in uniting much of the country by advocating for peaceful change, social equality and racial harmony. With the help of his efforts, Tanganyika became a republic on December 9, 1961.  In 1964, Zanzibar followed and the two nations unified to form the United Republic of Tanzania with Nyerere as its first president.