AfricaPress-Tanzania: The government through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism yesterday opened the doors of the old Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s house located at Magomeni area in Dar es Salaam for tourists.
The house which depicts the beginning of political liberation movements of the father of the nation at Magomeni in Dar es Salaam has now officially been turned into a tourist attraction.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism through the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) yesterday officially launched the house located at Ifunda Street as one of the centres for heritage tourism in the city.
This is the house that Mwalimu Nyerere lived in during his early independence struggles in 1950’s.
While officiating the launching event, Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, heritage tourism in the city.
This is the house that Mwalimu Nyerere lived in during his early independence struggles in 1950’s.
While officiating the launching event, Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Hamisi Kigwangalla said the move was part of extensive plans of his ministry to earmark all houses and places that the first president used during his life and document them to keep his legacy and history for the future generation.
“In our ministry, we have introduced a special strategy for keeping the legacy of Mwl Nyerere.
We have a team which collects information and documents events about Nyerere in digital form so that they don’t disappear,” he explained.
The government nationalised the house at Magomeni in 2011.
Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Allan Kijazi who doubles as TANAPA’s Conservation Commissioner, said the name of Nyerere has a big status in the nation, Africa and the world at large.
“Apart from TANAPA’s intention to improve the house, we would like to make this centre a large one to attract tourists,” he vowed.
TANAPA intends to expand the area by compensating the owners of neighbouring houses and have more land for building other structures like parking, cafeteria and others.
Commenting, chairman of TANAPA’s board of trustees, Retired Chief of Defence Forces, General George Waitara said the house is among heritage attractions that were put under TANAPA.
Gen Waitara said TANAPA had commissioned SUMA- JKT to repair the house for improvements.
“After repair, now the big task ahead is to market the centre…we believe it is among the best attractions for visitors and will contribute to more revenues.
I believe many visitors would like to visit this centre because it has a big history,” he said.
Among historic items preserved in the house include the picture of Mwalimu Nyerere when he was the President of Tanganyika, tailoring machine, and iron box.
Members of Nyerere’s family attended yesterday’s event, including the son of the late former president, Makongoro Nyerere and relatives, including Joseph Butiku and former Prime Minister, Joseph Warioba.
“I was raised in this house; this place was full of coconut trees. I used to come here in the late 1950’s.
This was a place of hot politics…heritage is about structures like these, but also his thoughts, we also need to keep his thoughts,” he said.
On his part, Judge Warioba commended TANAPA for starting the process of preserving the life history of Mwalimu Nyerere.
“There are many things in his life that we have not yet fully preserved…I am pleased to see Tanapa has started doing it.
Speak to members of his family, they have many things to tell about the life of Nyerere,” he said.
