Word: tanzanian
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...charter of Tanzanian socialism is the Arusha Declaration of 1967. Under its provisions, all major industries, banks, insurance companies, wholesale firms and import-export concerns were nationalized. The most radical measure was the resettlement of millions of peasants into ujamaa ("familyhood," in Swahili) villages, which in principle are supposed to resemble Luhanga. Initially, migration to these communities was voluntary, but only 2 million responded. Then, in 1973, Nyerere's party ordered everyone in the countryside to the villages. Army units loaded peasants into trucks. Those who balked saw their huts bulldozed or ignited. Scores, perhaps hundreds, died. Some...
...upheavals created by the forced relocation and nationalization have pushed Tanzania's economy toward bankruptcy. A lack of consumer goods has encouraged well-organized smuggling; huge quantities of Tanzanian coffee, tea, cotton and cattle clandestinely find their way to free markets in neighboring Kenya. Peasants who have to rely on the state-run distribution network spend days carting their harvests to central crop-collection centers. Once there, they often camp for weeks, sleeping atop bales of cotton or mounds of corn, waiting for cash payments to arrive from Dar es Salaam...
Although Nyerere's leadership code still keeps most top officials honest, below them, says a Tanzanian, "corruption has become institutionalized." Explains a resident of Dar es Salaam: "You can't get anything done without paying - whether a permit for a plot of land or an import license. I even have to bribe to get my cess pool emptied...
...from the U.S., Western Europe, China, the Soviet Union and various international agencies, which last year totaled about $300 million, has helped keep Tanzania solvent. Officials insist, however, that their nation's difficulties are merely temporary. Explains a Tanzanian socialist: "I know it seems like a mess. The people lack enthusiasm because they often don't have the vision to see the promise of a better life. But that is changing slowly; the foundation is being built...
State-owned enterprises have already been warned that the government will no longer subsidize chronic losses. Early this year, 26 private companies jointly promised to begin new projects totaling $15 million - admittedly a small sum but the first major investment by Tanzanian businessmen in a decade. The government has even been encouraging Western capital, something that might be viewed as a violation of Nyerere's cardinal principle that socialism equals self-reliance. But as the President ruefully explains: "There is a time for planting and a time for harvesting. I am afraid for us it is still a time...