‘Museum provides media opportunity to appreciate history’

Farirai Machivenyika

Senior Reporter

The Museum of African Liberation provides an opportunity for media practitioners to appreciate the sacrifices made in fighting colonial rule, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said yesterday.

He made the remarks during a tour of the museum by journalists drawn from various media houses.

“I believe this is an opportunity for you to be able to relate to our heritage, to be able to relate to the artifice, to be able to relate to our history, because the majority of our history is from a Western perspective.

“But this museum is a centre, a centre of our heritage where countries across the continent have an opportunity to contribute through artefacts, through history, through many other historical developments that took place,” he said.

The minister added that the museum has information on Africa’s history, beginning from the early days of the fight against colonial rule.

“So, I believe this is an opportunity for you to be able to share such experiences in this part of your heritage, which heritage includes all the classes, 600 years of slavery, more than 100 years of colonisation, and how African people were able to work together to liberate ourselves from the yokes of colonialism,” Dr Muswere said.

He also said the tour offered journalists an opportunity to relate to the country’s land reform programme and that the whole idea around the war of liberation was about economic empowerment.

“It was about economic emancipation, it was about democracy, it was about freedom, which freedom you now enjoy in the Second Republic,” he said.

Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi said construction of the museum was progressing well and hailed the support it has received from various African countries and others from outside the Continent.

“Construction is progressing well and we are grateful for the support we have received from various countries on the continent and beyond,” Ambassador Muzawazi said.

He added that the museum had the potential to be a major tourist attraction when complete.

The museum is being constructed on 103 hectares of land near Harare’s Warren Park suburb and will also have a shopping mall, an African Village and a game park among other  attractions.