C.L.R. James & Nyerere

[Alex Trotter <uburoi@xxxxxxxxx>]

To return briefly to the subject of ujaama: I looked up an essay of
James's from 1971, "The Old World and the New," from the collection
entitled *At the Rendezvous of Victory*, in which he discusses the
end of colonialism, African independence and leaders such as Nkrumah,
Nyerere, and the like. In the section on Tanzania and Nyerere's
experiment with "African socialism" based on the village community, James
seems quite supportive of this policy: "...in Tanzania, led by Nyerere
and with Kaunda following him, they are beginning to understand that if
they want to build something in Africa, they have to build on the African
basis, and the African basis is the village community" (p. 214).
        I was wondering if Ralph could be coaxed into some commentary,
as, given his simultaneous contempt for ujaama and his evident admiration
for James, there seems to be a contradiction here. Was the later James
mistaken? I don't see him recommending workers' councils for postcolonial
Africa in that essay.

--AT


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