DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 9 -- ON a warm December night in 1961, Tanganyika entered history as a new nation.

Thousands gathered in Dar es Salaam as the Union Jack was lowered and the green, black and yellow flag rose for the first time.

The celebrations swept across the capital, marking the end of British rule and the beginning of self-determination.

At the same moment, Lieutenant Alexander Nyirenda climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to light the Torch of Freedom at the summit—an act crafted to signal hope, dignity and unity.

For Julius Nyerere, then Prime Minister, the torch was a promise that independence would carry light beyond Tanzanias borders.

Tanganyikas path to this moment stretched back through decades of international oversight, fr...