BY FREEMAN MAKOPA
Government yesterday launched the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Exhibition Park at the Museum of African Liberation, which will also houses a Memorial Wall with chronicles the country’s history.
Speaking at the launch in Harare on behalf of Defence and War Veterans Affairs minister Oppah Muchinguri, State Security minister Owen Ncube said the park would showcase hardware which included tankers and helicopters used during the struggle for independence.
“It is, therefore, with such pride and honour that I invite you all, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs, to bear witness to these humble first steps towards the establishment of the ZDF Exhibition Park which will commence with showcasing hardware comprising a tanker and a helicopter, with more to come,” Ncube said.
“To demonstrate the urgency of capturing the history of our people, we are reminded yet again about the address in commemoration of our Heroes Day by His Excellency, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, where he highlighted the steps taken by the government to have visible and permanent reminders of the human sacrifices made to liberate us.”
In addition, the ZDF Exhibition Park will also house a four-metre by 100-metre memorial wall where a timeline of murals depicting narratives of key events and memories from different phases of the Zimbabwean liberation struggle will be displayed.
Following the ground-breaking ceremony on December 4 in 2020 by Mnangagwa and approval of the architectural design a few months ago, construction of the Museum of African Liberation under the administration of the Institute of African Knowledge began in earnest.
“I am advised that collection of data and artefacts from Zimbabwe and indeed from other Pan-African community of nations is on-going through bilateral and multilateral arrangements.
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“You must agree with me that this is no mean feat, given the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic, frequent lockdowns that have had adverse effects on our socio-economic situations as a people,” Ncube said.
Institute of African Knowledge chairperson Simbi Mubako said the ZDF Exhibition Park was designed to provide educational content targeting scholars and those interested in studying the country’s history.
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