IN a bid to trace African history from African perspective, local researchers will soon come up with a project titled Book of African Records (BAR). Report by Entertainment Reporter
The records are to be published annually with the first edition expected to come out before the end of 2014. Although the deadline set by local researchers for the publication appears ambitious, BAR editor-in-chief Errol Muzawazi believes they will achieve their goal.
“We shall not take that long as we, fortunately, are building on already-available work and so will not have to reinvent the wheel,” he said.
“The catch phrase of the African Mobility Organization, which is publishing BAR, is ‘Africa in action today not tomorrow!’. In this regard, we are researching with discipline, consistency and singularity of purpose. BAR is a mammoth project in both scale and scope, taking into consideration that similar Pan-African projects in history lasted decades to complete.
The Unesco General History of Africa, which produced eight volumes of extensive African history, lasted 35 years and involved hundreds of scientists from around the world. The Encyclopedia Africana project, which was launched in 1901 by renowned Pan-Africanist William du Bois, took 98 years to complete. To begin publicity of the project, BAR has launched ZIM FIRSTS, a pilot project that catalogues pioneering Zimbabweans who were the first people to achieve something significant ahead of their fellow citizens.
“Through ZIM FIRSTS, the BAR research team will sharpen tools and gain experience in the science of collection, collation, verification and publication of records,” said Muzawazi. He said BAR will launch a national mobilisation programme to get Zimbabweans involved in the process of collection of records.
“The digitalisation of the society is still at a primary stage and BAR realises that most records are deposited in the people and not in the online archives or libraries.”
BAR is expected to partner with one of the local network providers and launch an SMS-based system for Zimbabweans to claim a place in the ZIM FIRSTS programme and eventually in the Book of African Records.
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“Simultaneously, BAR will start a new television and radio programme, a vibrant YouTube channel and penetrate into the social media to gather momentum as we continue the journey to the first edition in 2014,” said Muzawazi.
