• Commonwealth:
• Media Room:
• Press Archive Search:
• Statement by Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku at the death of Mwalimu Julius K Nyerere

Statement by Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku at the death of Mwalimu Julius K Nyerere

14 October 1999

I am deeply distressed and saddened by the passing of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. The flame of his life force burned so brightly that it is impossible to imagine that it could be extinguished. From the early 1960s, when he assumed the leadership of his country, his articulation of the shared values of the Commonwealth played a crucial role in shaping its destiny.

Of the very many conversations I had with Mwalimu over the years, I shall always cherish the memory of our one and a half hour reflections on Africa and the Commonwealth in the garden of his humble Msasani residence in Dar es Salaam in the last week of his Presidency in November 1985.

We all admired his wisdom, his transparent honesty, and his incisive wit, married as it was to a disarming sense of humour. All of us who were present at the OAU Summit meeting in Algiers in July 1999 were glad to see his inspirational service to the African continent touchingly and rightly honoured.

Africa has lost one of its greatest sons, and humanity is the poorer.



Issued by the Information and Public Affairs Division,
Commonwealth Secretariat,
Marlborough House,
Pall Mall,
London SW1Y 5HX,
United Kingdom.
Tel: 0207-839 3411;
Fax: 0207-839 9081;
Telex: 27678

99/59 14 October, 1999

ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6385/6 Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081
Email: info@commonwealth.int