Author: George Roberts

Synopsis: 

“In the 1960s, the itineraries of Cold War strategists, anti-colonial freedom fighters, and Pan-Africanists from all over the world crisscrossed through the cosmopolitan metropolis of Dar es Salaam. This exciting and original book reveals how Cold War Dar es Salaam emerged as a vibrant global hub where thinkers, strategists, and freedom fighters gathered to create their visions of a postcolonial world order. Roberts reveals the profound challenges of non-alignment in a world riven by Cold War struggles.” -Emily Callaci – University of Wisconsin, Madison

“Roberts puts Dar es Salaam in its rightful place in the political historiography of liberation, in Southern Africa in particular and the Global South in general. At a time when xenophobia and parochial nationalism are on the rise, Roberts reminds readers of the strategic role of this “revolutionary city” and its Nkrumah Street in forging Pan-African- ism and “Third World” solidarity during the “global sixties”. The book is a gem to those interested in Cold War politics, state-building, capitalism, socialism, urbanism, globalisation, and transnationalism.”
-Chambi Chachage – Howard University

“A deeply researched and carefully woven book. Focusing on the city of Dar es Salaam in the decade after independence, it offers a fresh and original account of Tanzania’s post-colonial political history and is an exciting contribution to histories of anti-colonial liberation and the Global Cold War.”
-Emma Hunter, University of Edinburgh

Tracing Dar es Salaam’s rise and fall as an epicentre of Third World revolution, George Roberts explores the connections between the global Cold War, African liberation struggles, and Tanzania’s efforts to build a socialist state. Instead of understanding decoloni-sation through a national lens, he locates the intersection of these dynamics in a globally connected city in East Africa. Revolutionary State-Making in Dar es Salaam introduces a vibrant cast of politicians, guerrilla leaders, diplomats, journalists, and intellectuals whose trajectories collided in the city. In its cosmopolitan and rumour-filled hotel bars, embassy receptions, and newspaper offices, they grappled with challenges of remaking a world after empire. Yet Dar es Salaam’s role on the frontline of the African Revolution and its provocative stance towards global geopolitics came at considerable cost. Roberts explains how Tanzania’s strident anti-imperialism ultimately drove an authoritarian turn in its socialist project and tighter control over the city’s public sphere.