CHIEFS’ Council president, Fortune Charumbira has urged the government and academics to interrogate and enrich information at the National Archives of Zimbabwe (NAZ), which was currently a repository of mainly colonial history.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
Speaking, as the guest of honour at the International Archives Day commemorations held yesterday at NAZ, Charumbira said the information in the archives was created by colonial systems.
“National Archives of Zimbabwe must be given much prominence to value the country’s history, so that it is not distorted. We are also aware of the critical evidential role that archives play in facilitating contentious succession disputes and it is, therefore, critical that the government, academics and traditional authorities continually interrogate this state of affairs, with a view to further enriching the information that National Archives holds,” he said.
Charumbira said the chiefs’ council, as the custodians of culture and heritage, recognised that promotion and preservation of documentary history was a critical facet of a nation’s livelihood.
He said archives were a repository of memory, which safeguarded people against inaccurate recollections.
“The chief monument of the history of a nation is its archives, the preservation of which is recognised in all countries as a natural and proper function of government,” Charumbira said.
He said yesterday’s commemoration, which came after Culture Week festivities, did not only create awareness of the importance of the archival profession, but acted as an important vehicle for the preservation of cultural heritage.
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“This year’s theme cries out loud for recognition of the role of archives in building socio-cultural harmony through memory, good governance and pride of identity. In the jurisdiction of traditional leadership, there is potential in collaboration in developing modern records management practices among our traditional authorities. That will aid in social harmony through strong, transparent and accountable traditional governance,” he said.
As part of this year’s celebrations that were commemorated under the theme: Archives, Harmony and Friendship, NAZ has extended invitations to schools to visit the archives for free under the Open Day concept.
