This chapter begins by revealing the contact that Nyerere had with fellow Tanganyikans, especially those with him in the United Kingdom at the same time. It details an early sign of political differences that arose in a London meeting between Nyerere and representatives from the territory. It then charts Nyerere’s political activities in Edinburgh, where publicly he focused on the proposed Central African Federation. The chapter discusses the influence of Fabianism, which leads into an examination of the key political economy and moral philosophy texts that he studied for his degree. Emphasis is placed on Nyerere’s understandings of religion, traditional society, freedom and democracy, and how he saw that these could be applied to his homeland. The chapter draws on interviews with John Keto, co-author with Nyerere of a hitherto uncited political article that the two Tanganyikans wrote together in Edinburgh. It also provides analysis of other Africa-related content in The Student magazine, and reflections on Nyerere’s unabridged version of ‘The Race Problem in East Africa’ article that he completed in Edinburgh. The final treatment is on the works of classical and later European philosophers who Nyerere studied, and his appreciation of the position taken by authors such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Stuart Mill, T.H. Green, Bernard Bosanquet and Harold Laski.

Thirteen Tanganyikans

While his political views at the time were put to paper, Nyerere never became much of a platform politician in the University itself. He did speak publicly in Edinburgh on the Central African Federation, but those who knew him in the city did not remember him as a student politician of vocal prominence.2 As Shepperson put it in a later BBC interview: ‘We at Edinburgh were… very surprised, in the mid-1950s when Dr. Nyerere’s name became widespread throughout the world press. We never felt when he was here that he was going to become a leading politician.’3 Nyerere was certainly politically aware in the early 1950s. From Edinburgh he is said to have maintained regular correspondence – ‘almost like a newsletter’ – with the few other Tanganyikans in Britain, informing them about and discussing with them the situation back home.