Project
Mwalimu Nyerere’s Fundamental Option for Poor People: How he was Influenced by his Christian Faith and how he Resolved the Tension Between Development and Liberation Paradigms.
This research project aims at examining (1) whether Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere (the first President of Tanzania) has really based his policy on a fundamental option for poor people and for people-centred development, and, (2) if this is the case (which is our hypothesis), in what regards he was influenced by Christian faith and ethics. The project also examines the role of the both the paradigms of development and liberation in his option and how he resolved the tension between them. The emphasis of the research is not so much on whether he succeeded in eradicating poverty but rather on his attitudes towards and theoretical approach of those who are poor. As lens for a critical evaluation of Nyerere’s thinking, the research project uses three perspectives: (1) Pope Benedict XVI’s understanding of charity (in Caritas in veritate), which enables to criticise Nyerere’s unilateral focus on justice; (2) Gutiérrez’ liberationist approach of poverty; and (3) Sen’s interpretation of development, democracy and poverty in the light of his capability approach. The project finally seeks to retrieve what is still relevant of Nyerere’s thought in today’s context.