Mwalimu Nyerere’s confidential notes to be released in 2036

Embargoed notes about Julius Kambarage Nyerere transcribed by Joan Wicken, currently sealed in the Bodleian archives at Oxford University, will be released on December 4, 2036.

The notes were revealed during the launch of Joan Wicken's book written by Aili Mari Tripp on October 13, 2023.

Ms Wicken was Nyerere's personal assistant from 1960, two years before he became Tanzania's first president, to almost the time of his death in 1999.

Aili said that Wicken told her that she was transcribing the notes into readable form because they were shorthand. However, Wicken said that the notes are currently not public and the embargo would be lifted in about 30 years, so maybe another 10 years.

The former managing director of Mkuki na Nyota, Walter Bgoya, said that four days before Wicken died in December 2004, former president Benjamin Mkapa sent him to meet with her to ask her about the notes and convince her to shorten the time of the embargo.

"I went to meet her at the hospital, where she was at the time," Bgoya said. "She was very adamant as she told me, 'No, I cannot let these documents out now.'"

ACT-Wazalendo party leader Zitto Kabwe said that the notes will reveal things that most people do not know about Tanzania as well as about Nyerere.

"While I cannot speculate about what the embargoed notes are about, I'm sure these notes, once released, will answer a lot of questions about the country as well as confirm things we have believed to be rumours," Kabwe said.

In the book, Wicken is quoted saying that Nyerere liked being argued with, and this led him to tell her things that are now part of the embargoed notes.

"Nyerere and I could talk about anything," Wicken said. "He could say things to me and know it would not go anywhere. This is why my notes are going to be embargoed. He didn't often talk about people as people, basically, it was much more about the issues."

Wicken also said that Nyerere valued being argued with.

"Mwalimu liked being argued with, and that is something he valued very much," Wicken said. "We fitted well together, and I was nearer in age, which is important in a way that the youngsters found difficult. I could argue with him on age alone and because I had known him before he had any position. We got along well. Our ideas were basically very similar."

Aili was able to gather details about Nyerere through Wicken's experience in an interview that was only conducted within two days.

The release of the embargoed notes is highly anticipated by historians and political scientists who are eager to learn more about Nyerere's thoughts on a variety of topics, including the Tanzanian revolution, the Arusha Declaration, and the Cold War. Nyerere was a key figure in these events, and his insights will be invaluable to historians.

The notes are also expected to shed light on Nyerere's personal life and relationships.

Also, the release of the notes will provide new insights into the life and thinking of one of Africa's most important leaders.