Julius Nyerere's process to sainthood widened this week, following a revelation of an extra ordinary thing that Mwalimu did in 1999. The move by the BBC World Service to bring together sons of the two former East African leaders whose hostility toward each other Jaffer Remo Amin, the son of Uganda's former president, Idi Amin and
Madaraka Nyerere, the son of former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere,
met on Thursday at Butiama Village, Mwalimu’s birthplace amidst joy and
fraternal love. Prior to this encounter, BBC aired programmes that
portrayed Mwalimu as a unique leader, doing equally unique things that
could accelerate his process to sainthood, according to the Catholic
Church’s tradition.
Though a devout Catholic himself, Mwalimu is said to have raised
$400,000 for the construction of a beautiful mosque at Butiama, to
serve the population of about 200 muslims who live in the midst of a
predominantly Christian community of at least 10,000 at the time. And
who donated that big amount? It was Muammar Gadhafi, the current Libyan
leader. According to Vicky Ntetema, a BBC journalist who
covered the event in Butiama last week, Mwalimu was approached by the
local muslim community, asking him for financial assistance to renovate
their mosque that was in bad shape.
The Secretary of Butiama Masjid Rahman Mosque, Mr Suleiman Juma, told the BBC
that Mwalimu told the Islamic leaders that he was travelling and that
he would give them a reply of their request on return. Mwalimu Nyerere
who was by then retired, was travelling to Libya for a meeting where he
met Mr Gadhafi and told him to contribute some money for the renovation
of a mosque in his home village in Tanzania. According to the BBC,
Ghadafi responded to Mwalimu Nyerere's request with the following
statement: "I have no money for the renovation, but I will give you
money for construction of a new modern mosque in your village."
The following day, as Mwalimu waited for his flight back home at the
Tripoli International Airport, Gadhafi aides brought him the $400,000
in hard cash — for the construction of Butiama mosque. Mwalimu brought
the money, handed it over to Muslim leaders in Butiama, who later
formed a committee to supervise it. The money was used to build a
mosque, a residential house for a sheikh and a hostel to accommodate
muslim visitors who visit the place. The late Vice-President, Dr Omar
Ali Juma, officially opened the mosque on October 13, 2000.
According to Butiama Mosque chairperson, Swahib Araka Ahepe, Mwalimu
lived a saintly life, because he reconciled with Ghadafi and made him a
friend, even though he had supported Uganda in the war against Tanzania
in 1979. The Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dar es
Salaam, Right Reverend Methodius Kilaini, told the ‘Sunday News’ on
Thursday that Nyerere’s process to sainthood was slowly but surely
moving ahead. "The formal process of sainthood involves a complicated
process taking time, money, testimonies and miracles and the church
follows a strict set of rules in the process," he said.
He added that although some people claim to have received some favours
after asking Nyerere to intercede for them, the church was taking each
step with a lot of care. He added that what the church was interested
in was a scientific miracle about Nyerere, that could be believed
without some doubts. On Nyerere’s predisposition to forgiveness, Bishop
Kilaini said he portrayed that virtue, after he also forgave those who
wished to oust him from power.
On Mwalimu’s readiness to lend a hand to anyone – irrespective of faith
or creed — Bishop Kilaini said Mwalimu was never a religious fanatic.
"Though Catholic himself, he made the state take over schools run by
the same church, because he wanted equal services to be enjoyed by all
people," he added. Mwalimu Nyerere (1922-1999) has already been
declared a Servant of God (Mtumishi wa Mungu), as the first step in the
process (cause) of canonization.
The official inauguration of the process took place during a
eucharistic liturgy that was celebrated by Cardinal Polycarp Pengo at
Butiama Parish in Mara region on 21 January, 2006. One of the
statements that Nyerere uttered on Independence Day describes his kind
of a person. He said: We would like to light a candle and put it on
the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, which would shine beyond our borders,
giving hope where there is despair, love where there is hate and
dignity where before there was only humiliation.
Daily News
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