Sadc endorses liberation museum
THE Museum of African Liberation is vital for Southern Africa as it recognises and honours the founders of the region for their contribution to the establishment of the organisation and pursuit of regional integration, SADC has said.
SADC, impressed by the ongoing project, is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Institute of African Knowledge, which is spearheading the construction of the Museum.
President Mnangagwa’s special envoy, Ambassador Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, recently met the SADC secretariat in Botswana where a draft MoU was presented.
Instak chief executive Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi said they had a very successful engagement with the secretariat in Gaborone.
“We are now preparing to formalise the relationship through signing a memorandum of understanding. His Excellency was briefed on Wednesday by the special envoy and the Head of State was very well pleased by the ongoing international engagement and response.
“There has been a positive response from countries that have been engaged so far, that is 20 of them and we continue,” he said.
Ambassador Muzawazi said the engagement that President assigned his special envoy to embark on is premised on his pan-African vision of making Zimbabwe the home of the African story.
He said this was being done to ensure that the African story is institutionalised, preserved, promoted and can never be destroyed by anybody.
Ambassador Muzawazi said the support from SADC is encouraging considering that the overwhelming majority of countries that fought the liberation war in terms of the armed struggle are in the SADC region except for two or three.
“The centre for the armed struggle was 90 percent in Southern Africa in terms of the African continent. So naturally SADC is an ally.
“A lot of countries in the SADC region were members of the liberation committee of the Organisation of African Unity and also members of the Frontline States,” he said.
Posting on its website, SADC said its executive secretary, Elias Magosi, is keen on supporting the project.
“The project resonates with the region’s objectives, amongst others the operationalisation of the mechanism to recognise and honour the founders of SADC for their contribution to the establishment of the organisation and pursuit of regional integration,” reads the post.
“The envoy presented a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which outlines areas of mutual agreement and diplomatic support in the construction, including the contribution of archival materials for exhibition in the Museum.”
SADC said engagements regarding the project and MoU, as well as follow-ups, will be conducted between SADC and INSTAK in collaboration with the Zimbabwean Embassy in Botswana.
The Museum of African Liberation is situated on a 103-hectare site known as Liberation City, whose construction has already commenced.
The Liberation City is an expansive piece of land located only 7km south west of Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, along the busy trunk road Samora Machel Avenue, aptly named after Mozambique’s founding father, the late Cde Samora Machel.
The Liberation City, which is a new city within the city of Harare, will house the liberation museum as the main attraction and will include a 5-star hotel, an amusement park, theme park, animal park, various national monuments including a heritage village among many recreational and amusement facilities.
The Liberation City is projected to be a family friendly attraction for both local, regional and international tourists who will enjoy history, heritage, recreational, commercial and amusement facilities to be established at the new city.