Tribute to a Committed Intellectual

Abstract

Let the People Speak: Tanzania Down the Road to Neo-Liberalism by Issa G. Shivji
CODESRIA, 2006, xiii+303pp., ISBN: 2-86978-183-0 (pbk)

Let the People Speak was Issa Gulamhussein Shivji’s last book before his retirement from the University of Dar es Salaam in 2006. Retiring at the age of 60, he had by then served the University’s Faculty of Law for 36 uninterrupted years. He distinguished himself as a thorough intellectual whose work reflected a commitment to Africa that is unmatched in its passion, rigour and vigour. Shivji combined erudition and relevance which he presented in accessible modes that also included poetry and short story, oftentimes rendered in Kiswahili. He earned his LL.B. (Hons.) in 1970 from the then University of East Africa, his LL.M. in 1971 from the University of London and his Ph.D. in 1982 from the University of Dar es Salaam. Throughout these years, and considering the multiple crises that befell many African universities, Shivji stayed put at Dar es Salaam, rising through the ranks from tutorial fellow on 1 May 1970 to full professor on 1 July 1986...