<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Tanzania’s Rural Development Policy which encompassed, among other things, establishment of well-planned <italic>Ujamaa</italic> villages across the country, was a nation-wide agenda implemented immediately after the Arusha Declaration of 1967. The Arusha declaration marked the actual beginning of <italic>Ujamaa,</italic> a socio-economic policy based on egalitarian principles of traditional African societies practiced in Tanzania from 1967 to the mid-1980s. Contrary to government’s intentions, the Wataturu negatively responded to this programme since it conflicted with their socio-cultural set-up. Scholarships on this subject converge on the failure and success of the programme, its ecological impact as well as land disputes and social unrest resulting from the implementation of the policy. Yet, little is known about the extent to which the socio-cultural life, perceptions, beliefs, and cattle economy determined the responses, participation and mobilization among the Wataturu (<italic>brediga</italic>) - Datooga of Igunga. This paper exploits ethno-historical accounts from Igunga district and archival materials collected as part of a PhD project to fill this gap. The paper establishes that modernisation through the resettlement scheme and establishment of <italic>Ujamaa</italic> villages were never a reality for the Wataturu who uphold their traditional socio-cultural set-up with great pride.</p>
</abstract>

Tanzania’s Rural Development Policy which encompassed, among other things, establishment of well-planned Ujamaa villages across the country, was a nation-wide agenda implemented immediately after the Arusha Declaration of 1967. The Arusha declaration marked the actual beginning of Ujamaa, a socio-economic policy based on egalitarian principles of traditional African societies practiced in Tanzania from 1967 to the mid-1980s. Contrary to government’s intentions, the Wataturu negatively responded to this programme since it conflicted with their socio-cultural set-up. Scholarships on this subject converge on the failure and success of the programme, its ecological impact as well as land disputes and social unrest resulting from the implementation of the policy. Yet, little is known about the extent to which the socio-cultural life, perceptions, beliefs, and cattle economy determined the responses, participation and mobilization among the Wataturu (brediga) - Datooga of Igunga. This paper exploits ethno-historical accounts from Igunga district and archival materials collected as part of a PhD project to fill this gap. The paper establishes that modernisation through the resettlement scheme and establishment of Ujamaa villages were never a reality for the Wataturu who uphold their traditional socio-cultural set-up with great pride.

Failure of <italic>Ujamaa</italic> in Modernising Wataturu Community in Igunga from the Early 1970s to the the Mid-1980s

Department of History, Political Science and Development Studies

College of Education, Dar es Salaam University

Department of Ethnology and World Studies

University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava

Ethnologia Actualis

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Failure of  in Modernising Wataturu Community in Igunga from the Early 1970s to the the Mid-1980s

Tanzania’s Rural Development Policy which encompassed, among other things, establishment of well-planned Ujamaa villages across the country, was a nation-wide...

Failure of Ujamaa in Modernising Wataturu Community in Igunga from the Early 1970s to the the Mid-1980s

Published Online: Apr 15, 2023

Page range: 127 - 149

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/eas-2022-0007

Keywords
Modernisation, Tanzania, Villagisation, Wataturu

© 2022 Stephano Lazaro Ayo, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Failure of Ujamaa in Modernising Wataturu Community in Igunga from the Early 1970s to the the Mid-1980s

Published Online: Apr 15, 2023

Page range: 127 - 149

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/eas-2022-0007

KeywordsModernisation, Tanzania, Villagisation, Wataturu

© 2022 Stephano Lazaro Ayo, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Modernisation, Tanzania, Villagisation, Wataturu