[ Pensée politique du président John Pombe Magufuli: Entre populisme et panafricanisme ? ]
Adolphe AMANI BYENDA1, Pacifique MAKUTA MWAMBUSA2, and Germain NGOIE TSHIBAMBE3
1 Université Officielle de Bukavu, RD Congo
2 Université Officielle de Bukavu, RD Congo
3 Université de Lubumbashi, RD Congo
Original language: French
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This reflection on the thoughts of the former Tanzanian president, John Pombe Maguli traces his history through his political speeches and spontaneous outings. From these, a systematic analysis was carried out to establish a link between political life and the pan-Africanist ideology which emerged from African leaders whom some consider to be pioneers of African thought. Thanks to a certain rigor that he set for himself when he entered politics, John Pombe Magufuli managed to revive the pan-Africanist ideas and models that some opinion doubts to attribute to the ideals of the former pan-Africanists from before, during and after African independence. In this way, he became an emblematic political actor not only for his own country, but also for Africa as a whole, even if he seems to be forgotten today in the modern history of Pan-Africanism. Its embodied pan-Africanist model refers to the culture of self-care through what can be described as ego-Africanism for a better political, economic, social and scientific future for Africa. In this sense, rethinking the South and Africa will only be possible if African leaders draw inspiration from the model of President John Pombe Magufuli.
Author Keywords: pan-Africanism, emancipation and African renaissance, south-south thought.
Adolphe AMANI BYENDA1, Pacifique MAKUTA MWAMBUSA2, and Germain NGOIE TSHIBAMBE3
1 Université Officielle de Bukavu, RD Congo
2 Université Officielle de Bukavu, RD Congo
3 Université de Lubumbashi, RD Congo
Original language: French
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
This reflection on the thoughts of the former Tanzanian president, John Pombe Maguli traces his history through his political speeches and spontaneous outings. From these, a systematic analysis was carried out to establish a link between political life and the pan-Africanist ideology which emerged from African leaders whom some consider to be pioneers of African thought. Thanks to a certain rigor that he set for himself when he entered politics, John Pombe Magufuli managed to revive the pan-Africanist ideas and models that some opinion doubts to attribute to the ideals of the former pan-Africanists from before, during and after African independence. In this way, he became an emblematic political actor not only for his own country, but also for Africa as a whole, even if he seems to be forgotten today in the modern history of Pan-Africanism. Its embodied pan-Africanist model refers to the culture of self-care through what can be described as ego-Africanism for a better political, economic, social and scientific future for Africa. In this sense, rethinking the South and Africa will only be possible if African leaders draw inspiration from the model of President John Pombe Magufuli.
Author Keywords: pan-Africanism, emancipation and African renaissance, south-south thought.
Abstract: (french)
La présente réflexion sur la pensée de l’ancien président tanzanien, John Pombe Maguli retrace son histoire à travers ses discours politiques et sorties spontanées. A partir de ces derniers, une analyse systématique a été menée pour établir un lien entre la vie politique et l’idéologie panafricaniste qui a émergé dans le chef des leaders africains que d’aucuns considèrent comme pionnier de la pensée africaine. Grâce à une certaine rigueur qu’il s’est fixée lors de son entrée en politique, John Pombe Magufuli est parvenu à faire revivre les idées et modèles panafricanistes qu’une certaine opinion ne doute d’attribuer aux idéaux des anciens panafricanistes d’avant, pendant et après les indépendances africaines. De la sorte, il est devenu un acteur politique emblématique non seulement pour son propre pays, mais aussi pour l’Afrique toute entière même s’il semble être oublié aujourd’hui dans l’histoire moderne du panafricanisme. Son modèle panafricaniste incarné renvoie à la culture d’auto-prise en charge à travers ce qu’on peut qualifier d’égo-africanisme pour un meilleur avenir politique, économique, social et scientifique de l’Afrique. Dans ce sens, repenser le Sud et l’Afrique ne sera possible que si les dirigeants africains s’inspirent du modèle du président John Pombe Magufuli.
Author Keywords: panafricanisme, émancipation et renaissance africaine, pensée sud-sud.
