The Arusha Declaration Monument stands near the centre of town, marking the site where President Julius Nyerere announced the Arusha Declaration in 1967. The monument is a modernist tower surrounded by murals and sculptures depicting the ideals of Ujamaa — Nyerere's distinctive vision of African socialism built on communal self-help and rural collectivisation.
The declaration itself went far beyond its setting: it committed Tanzania to public ownership of the major means of production, set limits on the wealth that could be accumulated by party and government officials, and proclaimed a society where poverty would be fought through collective effort rather than foreign dependence. Whatever its eventual economic outcomes, it was a serious and earnest document — worth reading before visiting the monument. A framed copy is displayed nearby.