Bibi Titi Mohammed (June 1926 – 5 November 2000) was a

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

n politician of Muslim descent. She was born in June 1926 in Dar es Salaam, at the time the capital of former

Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...

. She first was considered a

freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

and supported the first president of

Julius Nyerere Julius Kambarage Nyerere (; 13 April 1922 – 14 October 1999) was a Tanzanian anti-colonial activist, politician, and political theorist. He governed Tanganyika as prime minister from 1961 to 1962 and then as president from 1962 to 1964, af ...

. Bibi Titi Mohammed was a member of the

Tanganyika African National Union The Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) was the principal political party in the struggle for sovereignty in the East African state of Tanganyika (now Tanzania). The party was formed from the Tanganyika African Association by Julius Nyerere ...

(TANU), the party that fought for the independence of Tanzania, and held various ministerial positions. In October 1969, she was sentenced for treason, and, after two years in prison, received a presidential pardon.

Biography

Early life

As she was growing up in the Matumbi tribe, her father refused to send her to school, because he feared she would lose her Muslim faith. After her father died, her mother decided to send her to school, because she saw the importance of an education for a young woman. Bibi Titi's mother's influence helped Bibi fight for

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

and helped her in her fight for

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

Marriage and children

At age fourteen, she married an older man, whom she divorced after the birth of her first child, a daughter named Halima. Because of Bibi Titi's ideals, her daughter was not allowed to marry, until she completed school. Bibi Titi later remarried and divorced two more husbands.

Political career

Bibi Titi Mohammad began her public career as the lead singer in a ngoma (a dance and music group), where she celebrated the birth of the prophet Mohammed during Maulidi. In the 1950s, after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, she started to get involved with the nationalist movement in Tanzania and on July 7, 1954,

TANU Tanu may refer to: People * Malietoa Tanumafili I (1879–1939), Samoan prince * Tanu Nona (1902–1980), Australian pearler and politician * Tanu Roy (born 1980), Indian actress and model * Tanu (born 1997), a Finnish/Assyrian rapper Places * Ta ...

was created by

. She became a close friend of his, after being introduced to him in 1954 by the driver of a family cab. In 1955, Mohammed became the chairperson of the 'Umoja wa Wanawake wa Tanzania' (UWT - United Women of Tanzania), which was the women's branch of TANU. Within three months of her coming into the position, she was able to enroll more than 5000 women into TANU and helped play a major role in the fight for independence against British colonial rule. Mohammed was able to bring the UWT's ideas to the masses and also unified women against colonialism by giving them one voice. Tanzania became an independent country in 1961, and her leadership also helped with writing the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

in 1964. She became junior minister for women and social affairs and achieved a place for women in the Tanzanian government. Also, she played an important role in the creation of the All African Women Conference. In 1965, Bibi Titi lost her parliamentary seat, which meant her loss of power. By 1967, she resigned her position in the party's central committee. She was protesting a provision in the Arusha Declaration, Nyerere's plan for African socialism. This declaration banned all central committee members from renting properties. Because of most women's lack of education, the right to rent properties was one of the few things that helped them earn a stable income.

UWT

Bibi Titi Mohammed was a key person for the creation of TANU (

), which became the major political party in Tanzania. Mohammed's involvement began when she met Julius Nyerere, who would eventually become the first president. Mohammed was able to hold a position of leadership with TANU, mostly due to Nyerere's belief in gender equality. Giving women visibility was a major priority of Nyerere's policy, giving Mohammed the platform she needed. Bibi Titi Mohammed was the leader of the women's wing of TANU, called Umoja wa Wanawake wa Tanzania (UWT). This organization was key in promoting the beliefs and ideals of TANU. UWT also was an important tool in uniting women throughout Tanzania.

Arrest and detention

In October 1969, Bibi Titi and the former Labour Minister Michael Kamaliza were arrested, along with four army officers, charged with plotting to overthrow the government. Seen as in instigator of protests, she was put on trial for plotting to take over Tanzanian government. Tanzania's first

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

trial was held, and after a 127-day trial, Mohammed was sentenced to life imprisonment; she was put on house arrest. During the trial, her political associates disowned her, and most of her friends deserted her. While in prison, her husband, who was ashamed of her, divorced her and left her alone to try to prove her innocence. After two years into her life sentence, Nyerere commuted her sentence, and she was released from prison.

Death and late recognition

After Bibi Titi was released from prison, she disappeared from public life and lived the rest of her life in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. In 1991, when Tanzania was celebrating 30 years of independence, Bibi Titi appeared in the ruling party's paper as "A Heroine of Uhuru (Freedom) Struggle". On November 5, 2000, Mohammed died at Net Care Hospital in

, where she had been treated.

Legacy

Bibi Titi Mohammed's legacy lives on in Tanzania. She played a pivotal role in education and women's equality. She fought her government for what she believed in, even when it got her in trouble. Today, one of Dar es Salaam's major roads is named after Mohammed in honour of the great achievements made by her toward Tanzanian independence. In 2020, Deutsche Welle's 'African Roots' history project for young people in Africa produced an animated story and video about her life.

Bibliography

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References

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