Story by ZBC Reporter
FORMER Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Her Excellency Dr Nkosazana Dhlamini-Zuma, toured the Liberation City project in Harare thi monday, describing it as a landmark initiative for preserving and promoting African narratives.
Liberation City is a 101-hectare multi-purpose development that incorporates the Museum of African Liberation, a Heritage Village, Liberation Mall, an African-themed amusement park, an animal park, a five-star hotel and world-class presidential villas, among other amenities.
The project is being spearheaded by the Pan-African think tank, the Institute of African Knowledge (INSTAK), with support from the Government of Zimbabwe.
Conducted on the tour by INSTAK Chief Executive Officer, Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi, Dr Dhlamini-Zuma commended the home-grown nature of the initiative.
“I think this is a fantastic project, because Africa must have its story, its history. What I also like is that it is being built by Africans in Zimbabwe. We’re not asking other people from other continents to come and build it for us; we’re building it ourselves.
“It also reclaims our identity. But more importantly, it tells of our journey in terms of our liberation because this freedom was not free. So for me, I’m very impressed, really.”
She also commended INSTAK for developing commercial models to sustain the Museum of African Liberation:
“I also like the concept of having commercial ventures that support the Museum, because the Museum must be very cheap for people to come in so that nobody can say ‘I want to go to the Museum but I don’t have money to pay’. So I think it’s an excellent idea; I’m very impressed.”
Dr Dhlamini-Zuma, who was the AU’s first female Chairperson from 2012 to 2017, has held several senior posts in the South African Government, including Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Home Affairs.
Ambassador Muzawazi thanked her for visiting Liberation City, noting that her long-standing support had been instrumental to INSTAK’s success. He recalled her role in facilitating the publication of the Africa Factbook, the first comprehensive look at more than 1,000 years of African history, which was endorsed by the AU under her leadership.
“The endorsement today of the work we are doing here with the support of His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the Government of Zimbabwe emboldens us and encourages us to go further and do more for Africans everywhere,” he said.
The African Union, SADC and several other institutions have endorsed INSTAK’s ongoing work at Liberation City, which is envisaged as a continental hub of history, culture and heritage.
