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Independent Africa comparative case study: the Congo and Tanzania Essay

Independent Africa comparative case study: the Congo and Tanzania Essay Up until the early 1960s, Tanzania and the Congo were both governed by European colonial powers. African social institutions and culture had been destroyed and devalued by colonialism. Following decolonization, the leaders of Tanzania and the Congo both encouraged social, economic, and cultural growth inside their own nations.

Economic Similarities

underdeveloped economies at the time of their independence
majority peasant population, small scale subsistence farmers
had few qualified technicians and engineers
Neither had well developed infrastructure (roads, railway links)
nationalised land and industry
relied on the export of primary products, and were thus badly effected by the drop in raw materials prices in the 1970s
neither had oil reserves, thus the increase in oil prices in the 1970s negatively impacted industrialisation and transportation
struggled to develop manufacturing industry post-independence
come the 1980s both relied on loans from foreign countries and institutions to avoid bankruptcy
both struggled to develop economically
Neither country saw significant increases in the standard of living for the majority of its people

Congo economic crisis: copper bonanza ends, expropriated businesses bankrupt or ruined by mismanagement, high inflation, fuel shortages, huge debts, falling revenues
Tanzania economic crisis: ujamaa villages were a failure – food production fell dramatically, the issue compounded by a drought that lead to famine, had to import food, which exhausted foreign reserves — trade deficit widened, foreign debt increased, high inflation

Economic Differences

After his initial attempts at nationalisation with his policy of Zairianisation failed, Mobutu implemented a capitalist economic model in the Congo, while Nyerere adopted an African socialist model.
While the Congo encouraged and relied heavily on foreign investments from the early 1960s, receiving support from the West and the US; Nyerere attempted to remain economically independent and free of neo-colonialism, arguing that foreign aid resulted in donor pressure, undermining a nation’s ability to be independent and self reliant., which is what he declared his aim in the Arusha Declaration (1967)
Mobutu aimed to industrialise the Congo, to process their own raw materials and develop an industrial base. Nyerere, on the other hand, believed that industrialisation was a mistake and introduced Ujamaa, a villagisation project aimed to make the nation self-sufficient in terms of food and develop the peasant agricultural economy.
The Congo’s economy was characterised by kleptocracy and nepotism, leading to the development of a rich and powerful elite, whereas Tanzania made attempts to reduce corruption of government officials through a ‘Leadership Code’.
The economy of the Congo produced vast differences in wealth between rich and poor, while Tanzania attempted to minimise this economic inequality.
When the its economy crashed in the 1980s, the Congo relied on aid from the USA, while Tanzania relied on loans from the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and World Bank

Social and Cultural Similarities

The legacy of colonialism was very apparent, with Western ideals and ideas more highly valued than African ones and Western legal and government systems in place, instead of the local customs and laws. Schools used European curricula and produced an educated elite who rejected their own culture.
There was a lack of education in general, and thus high illiteracy rates and a shortage of skilled workers. The Congo focused on primary education and Tanzania focussed on rural schooling, aiming to improve basic literacy.
Both Nyerere and Mobutu promoted Africanisation in their respective nations.

Social and Cultural Differences

In the Congo there were a small number of educated elite who were favoured by the system, which was rife with corruption and nepotism, while Nyerere’s Leadership Code prevented the development of a privileged elite in Tanzania, promoting the growth of a nation of equals. He believed in “Education for Self-Reliance” and aimed to provide a basic education for all in an attempt to change the elitist, colonial-based education system, requiring university students to do community service in rural areas.
Nyerere encouraged Africanisation in Tanzania through the implementation of Ujamaa villages, which promoted African co-operative community values and aimed to reverse the trend in unequal classes, and he also promoted Swahili as the national language. Mobutu promoted Africanisation in the Congo through his policy of authenticité, by changing many of the old European names to African ones, such as renaming the nation “Zaire”, and by making people adopt African names to replace their Christian ones. He encouraged people to wear African clothing, play and listen to African music and eat African food.

Leadership Styles

Good leadership is characterised by upholding rule by law, looking after the interests of all citizens of the country, holding free and fair multi-party elections, protecting the civil and human rights of all people, promoting political stability and national coherence.

Mobutu set himself up as soul guide and mentor to the country
His ideology of “Mobutuism” had the full force of the law behind it and he ruled by decree, controlling all appointments and government revenue

Leadership Styles Similarities

Mobutu Sese Seko (Congo) came into power by a military coup whereas Nyerere (Tanzania) was elected.
Both Mobutu and Nyerere introduced one-party states
In both countries opposition parties were silenced and there was evidence of imprisonment and human rights violations of those who spoke against the leadership
Both leaders emphasised the importance of Africanisation of their political systems (they regarded democracy as ‘un-African’ and a western imposition)
Both Sese Seko and Nyerere took pride in building their nations and vigorously promoted the pride of being Zairian or Tanzanian

Leadership Styles Differences

The period after independence in the Congo was characterised by violence and political upheaval; In Tanzania there was little conflict at independence and the country remained politically stable.
The Congo was highly fragmented along ethnic lines with leaders competing against
each other; Under Nyerere’s leadership, Tanzania was unified as a single country, he encouraged a national identity and there was very little ethnic conflict.
Mobutu created a kleptocracy were a group of appointed public officials abused their position for financial gain whereas Nyerere introduced the ‘Leadership Code’ in the Arusha Declaration which demanded high levels of integrity from public officials
Mobutu Seso Seko was extravagant and enjoyed expensive clothes and built himself palaces while Nyerere’s leadership style was one of personal integrity and humbleness
Mobutu Sese Seko aligned himself with the West while Nyerere adopted a policy of non-alignment with either capitalist or communist countries
During Mobutu’s time in office he promoted capitalism and foreign investment but inflation rates reached 100% and social welfare was cut; Nyerere promoted Ujaama, African Socialism and self-sufficiency, but the economy collapsed in the late 1970s and Tanzania was forced to take IMF loans and accept structural adjustment programmes / both countries accepted foreign aid.

Political Policies Similarities

introduced one-party systems of governance
believed in a centralised, stable and unitary system of government
held elections
emphasised the importance of Africanisation (Zairenisation and villagisation respectively)
In both countries opposition leaders were silenced, imprisoned and in some cases killed to maintain ‘stability’

Congo

Zairianisation (replaced foreigners with Zairians) failed due to (inexperience/ corruption/mismanagement/neglect)
Application of retrocession (replacing Zairians with foreigners)
The Congo continued to earn foreign currency from mining and the export of minerals during this period but the wealth was concentrated in the hands of a small elite
The Congo did not diversify its economy so it remained heavily reliant on prices paid for export goods
The Congo continued to remain heavily reliant on foreign aid and loans from its supporters in the west which created a dependency syndrome
Mobutu set himself up as soul guide and mentor to the country
His ideology of “Mobutuism” had the full force of the law behind it and he ruled by decree, controlling all appointments and government revenue

Tanzania

Nyerere attempted to resist neo-colonialism by nationalising industries and not attempting to modernise the economy using foreign aid or loans
Ujaama, the economic and social policy of ‘familyhood’, resulted in the economy becoming stagnant
Villagisation (collective villages) improved service delivery/attempted to create a more stable society that was largely free from economic inequalities
Farmers refused to leave their ancestral land therefore agricultural production fell
Arusha Declaration (abolished exploitation/led to the reduction of income gap between the poor and the rich/ownership of the country’s resources) Most nationalised companies went bankrupt
Exports dropped rapidly
By 1980s Tanzania depended on foreign aid and had been forced to take loans from the IMF leading to heavy reliance on foreign capital

Example Essay

How did Mobutu and Nyerere address the political, economic, social and cultural problems facing their countries after independence?

Up until the early 1960s, Tanzania and the Congo were both governed by European colonial powers. African social institutions and culture had been destroyed and devalued by colonialism. Mobutu and Nyerere, the leaders of the Congo and Tanzania, respectively, supported their countries’ political, economic, social, and cultural development.

Tanzania remained largely politically stable during the immediate post-independence period while the Congo experienced violence and upheaval. Both the Congo and Tanzania began as multi-party governments but soon changed to one-party systems because Mobutu and Nyerere both supported a centralized, stable, and unitary form of governance. In both nations, opposition parties were suppressed, their leaders were imprisoned, and occasionally they were put to death in the sake of maintaining national “stability.” Mobutu ruled as a brutal dictator, establishing himself as the country’s sole leader and mentor and creating a system in which kleptocracy, nepotism, and corruption were ingrained. Nyerere adopted a more sincere strategy and required high standards of integrity from all public servants in the Arusha Declaration by introducing the “Leadership Code.” They both emphasized the significance of the Africanization of their countries’ political systems, deeming democracy to be “un-African,” and promoted and developed each nation’s political system in accordance with their personal ideas and viewpoints.

Both leaders worked to improve the extremely weak economies that colonialism had left in these two African countries. Both nations relied on the production and export of primary goods, but while Nyerere saw industrialization as a mistake and instead concentrated on Tanzania’s peasant agricultural economy, aiming to make Tanzania food self-sufficient, Mobutu concentrated on industrializing the Congo so they could process their own raw materials (primarily minerals). While Nyerere developed an African socialist system and discouraged international investment out of concern that donor pressure might cause Tanzania to lose its independence—he intended to make the country self-reliant—Mobutu followed a capitalist economic model and promoted foreign investment in the Congo. While Mobutu and Nyerere had different perspectives on foreign engagement, particularly Western foreign involvement, they both aspired to advance the economy of their own countries.

The economy of the Congo was characterized by nepotism and cronyism, which trickled down from Mobutu himself at the top. The vast majority of government and public officials were corrupt, and bribes were used to get things done most of the time. As a result, the gap between the wealthy and the poor grew significantly. However, Nyerere attempted to lessen economic disparity in Tanzania and curb government corruption with the “Leadership Code” he created. Both their transportation and manufacturing sectors suffered as the price of oil increased in the 1970s because neither country had any oil reserves. Tanzania was forced to rely on loans from the IMF and World Bank while the Congo was forced to rely on foreign aid from the USA when their economies crumbled in the 1980s. Both countries ultimately failed to develop and recover their economies, even though Tanzania’s approach to its economy appeared to be far fairer and more equal than the corruption that was endemic in the Congo.

With schools employing European curricula and producing an educated elite that disregarded their own culture, colonialism’s legacy was quite evident in both countries. This educated elite in the Congo was by far the minority and was given preference by the corrupt and nepotistic system. With his conviction in “Education for Self-Reliance,” Nyerere sought to end the presence of this elite by encouraging Tanzania’s development into a nation of equals. While Mobutu converted the free elementary education system in the Congo into a fee-paying one, he worked to ensure that everyone had access to a basic education and mandated that university students complete community service in rural areas. The formation of distinct socioeconomic classes in the Congo is a result of the respective leaders’ divergent attitudes to education, whilst Tanzania remained largely equal, with 97% of children attending primary school.

Mobutu and Nyerere both saw the Africanization of their countries as being of utmost importance. Through his authenticité policy, Mobutu encouraged people to adopt African names in place of their Christian ones and promoted Congolese music, food, clothes, and culture. He also changed the names of significant locations, such as the Congo, to “Zaire.” The establishment of Ujamaa communities by Nyerere emphasized African cooperative community principles and sought to halt the rise of unequal classes. He also promoted Swahili as the country’s official language. Mobutu and Nyerere both fostered African culture in their countries through their different strategies, aiding in the social and cultural advancement of their respective countries.

It is obvious that, despite the similarity of their post-independence republics, the Congo and Tanzania’s various presidents adopted completely different strategies to advance the political, economic, social, and cultural advancement of their countries. Even though their goals occasionally coincided, Mobutu’s tended to be more self-serving than Nyerere’s, which had an impact on his choice of strategy.

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Independent Africa comparative case study: the Congo and Tanzania Essay