(Last Updated on December 3, 2020 by GERALD NCUBE)
HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa said African people including story tellers and the media should lead the narrative by telling stories about the continent from an African point of view.
He was speaking while officiating the ground-breaking ceremony for the Museum of African Liberation to be constructed in Harare.
“Learning from our history and our past, the time has come to deliberately and more consciously defend our interest and the people of Africa…
“I challenge African scholars and the media to come forward to propel our development through the telling of our own story. The epoch we are now at as Africa is the story of full ownership and utilisation of our endowments to modernise, industrialise and ultimately improve the lives of our people, said Mnangagwa.
The Museum of African Liberation is being spearheaded by a pan-Afrcan think tank Institute of African Knowledge (INSTAK).
“The construction of this museum is not to trap us in our past but meant to ensure that we use our history to learn from the past and chart a better future for the next generations,” added Mnangagwa.
Artefacts belonging to former liberation fighters were handed over to the government as part of the artefacts to be exhibited at the museum.
The wife of the late National Heroe, General Josiah Magama Tongogara handed over his military uniform as well as his service pistol while the son of the late National Hero Dr Leopold Takawira handed over a suitcase, radio, camera, rosary and hosho which were used by his parents during the liberation struggle.
Speaking at the same event, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage minister, Kazembe Kazembe said preparations were already being made for other countries to also bring artefacts to the museum.