Browsing by Author "Ndomba, Herbert Harald"

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    The Ruvuma development association and ujamaa in Songea district, 1960s - 1990s
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2014) Ndomba, Herbert Harald
    This study examined the contribution of Ruvuma Development Association [RDA] to the development of Ujamaa in Songea District between the 1960s and 1990s. The main assumption of the study was that the development of Ujamaa in the district was the result of the RDA’s inspiration, practice and experience. The study used both primary and secondary sources to examine this relationship. While oral and archival sources served as primary sources, books, journals and newspapers were useful secondary sources. The study revealed three main findings. First, the RDA was a significant grassroots organisation which emerged and prospered in Songea district during the early 1960s. It started in Litowa village and continued to expand and reached 17 villages. It was grounded on socialist democracy, self-reliance and cooperation. Secondly, through its participatory, socialist and democratic methods, the RDA successfully laid the foundation for the growth and expansion of Ujamaa in Songea. Thirdly, the decline of Ujamaa in Songea was inextricably linked to the banning of the RDA and the subsequent establishment of the villagisation programme. The use of an undemocratic and top-down approach in promoting villagisation discouraged local people from being committed to and enthusiastic about joining and participating in Ujamaa villages during the 1970s. Such a declining trend was further accelerated by the economic crisis of the 1980s and the 1991 Zanzibar Resolution which claimed to give impetus to the Arusha Declaration but in practice it hammered the last nail in the coffin of Ujamaa in Songea and the country as a whole. The study concludes that there was a very close historical relationship between the RDA and the development of Ujamaa in Songea district and the country in general. The RDA was a great source of inspiration for the rise and development of Ujamaa in the district.