AU honours Tanzania's founder Julius Nyerere with commemorative statue

The commemorative statue of the former Tanzanian leader was unveiled outside the AU headquarters in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa during the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union.

The AU in a statement released on February 18 said “We would like to light a candle and put it on top of Mount Kilimanjaro which would shine beyond our borders giving hope where there was despair, love where there was hate and dignity where before there was only humiliation.”

“Situated on the grounds of the building complex named in honour of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere hosting the African Union Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department, the statue pays tribute to his pivotal role in Pan-Africanism and peacebuilding,” they added.

Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan was present at the unveiling ceremony with other African leaders such as the President of Mauritania and AU Chairperson, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation and President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema among other leaders across the region.

Julius Nyerere, a Pan-Africanist was instrumental in founding the Organization of African Unity, which subsequently evolved into the African Union.

In 1961, he became Tanganyika's first prime minister, and in 1964, became the new state of Tanzania's first president.

His statue now joins that of Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah which was unveiled in 2012, followed by the statue of Emperor Haile Selassie in 2019.