The last four months have been the most eventful in Tanzania for many years, firstly the farewells to President Nyerere on his retirement. We have a review of his last interview – as President – on British TV by Dr Noel Thomas, Principal Lecturer in English, Westhill College, an affiliated college of the University of Birmingham on page 7 and several extracts from the President’s farewell Speech at the Diamond Jubilee Hall on 4 November 1985. Then came the massive vote of support received by President Mwinyi (page 4) and the indications of “rumblings” in Zanzibar reflected by the much lower level of support for President Wakil (page 5). Tanzania also has a new Cabinet (page 24) and a very different National Assembly. Nearly half of the MP’s lost their seats. Twenty-two former members were not in the list of candidates approved by the National Executive Committee. Ndugu Rashidi Kawawa and Ndugu Amir Jamal opted out voluntarily. In the seat of the latter (Morogoro Urban) Ndugu Shamim P Khan became the new MP. Ndugu Paul Bomani polled 55,898 votes in the Mwanza constituency against his opponents’ 20,727.

We were not the only publication to mark President Nyerere’s retirement with a special issue (No 22). We were fortunate to receive responses from 12 contributors but “Africa Events” in its tribute to the President under the heading “Moses’ Staff, Pharoahs Sceptre” attracted a further eight including George Shepperson recalling student days at Edinburgh University, Michael Manley former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Lucille Howell, Willie Brandt and our own Vice-President, Roger Carter, who wrote of Nyerere’s “Christian Insights and Fabian Origins”. One of our most difficult tasks in putting our own brochure together, surprising though it may seem, was to obtain a good photograph for the cover. It was pure coincidence that “Africa Events” used the same photograph for its special issue.

Meanwhile Tanzania’s economic problems remain. An update on these by Roger Carter is given on page 9. This is followed by a very interesting up-date on Tanzania’s Co-operative Movement where fundamental changes are underway. Peter Yeo took part, during August 1985 in some vigorous discussions at a seminar for field workers at the Co-operative College in Moshi and also had informal meetings in several primary societies in Rombo District. His article, on page 12, arises from these discussions.

Our article in No 21 has brought an encouraging response from Professor Mmari, Vice Chancellor of Sokoine University of Agriculture who states that, as far as the Mazumbai Forest is concerned, over which the University has control, no parastatal organisation will be allowed to establish a sawmill. On a similar theme, crocodiles in Lake Rukwa, we have an article from Joseph Kithama of Shihata, the Tanzanian News Agency (page 18).

Among the many Tanzanian visitors to UK during recent months has been Mr M S Muze a former Commissioner of Education. He told me that the Government continues to place high priority on primary education and now that teachers are being produced in greater numbers it is becoming possible to pay more attention to quality. We have been meaning to publish a review of the Presidential Commission on Education “The Educational System in Tanzania Towards the Year 2000” for some time and managed to persuade Peter Chonjo to do this for us during the short time he had left in Britain after completing his PhD studies. His report starts on page 20.

We should be celebrating in this issue two tenth anniversaries – those of the “Britain-Tanzania Society” and the “Bulletin of Tanzanian Affairs”. Unfortunately we ran out of space so we will try again in 10 years time! I hope I may be forgiven for a personal celebration. “Ukulimu wa Kisasa” (Modern Farming) with which I was closely associated in its early years has just published a special issue (No 350) to mark its thirtieth year. One of its readers, Felix A L Makimbo, offered a poem which begins like this:

Ni Miaka thelathini, ukulima wa kisasa,
Gazeti letu nchini, umri limetimiza,
Liitoayo misingi, ya kulima kwa kisasa,
Umri twaliombea, gazeti letu lidumu.

Lasomesha mambo mengi, ili nchi kuijenga,
Na mbolea jinsi gani, kwa hakika kutumia,
Wadudu uzuiaji, hayo yote laeleza,
Umri twaliombea, gazeti letu lidumu

David Brewin