1999 — The Death of Julius Nyerere

On October 14, 1999, Julius Nyerere, known across the continent as Mwalimu, the teacher, died in a London hospital at the age of 77. He had led Tanganyika to independence, forged the united republic of Tanzania, and sheltered liberation movements from across southern Africa. Then he did something almost no African leader of his generation dared to do: he stepped down, voluntarily, in 1985, handing over power while he was still its holder.

Tanzania's quiet dignity became his legacy, and when he passed, an entire continent mourned. Nyerere taught Africa that power could be given up, and that lesson, as much as independence itself, is what the teacher left behind for the leaders who followed him.