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Farirai Machivenyika

Senior Reporter

Switzerland yesterday pledged material support towards the establishment of the Museum of African Liberation after President Mnangagwa approved the architectural designs of the project.

The museum will be constructed in Harare opposite Warren Park 1 high density suburb.

President Mnangagwa officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony in December last year.

The museum, is a continental project meant to document, preserve, protect and promote the continent’s liberation legacy.

It is being spearheaded by the Institute of African Knowledge.

Speaking to the media after meeting the President, Switzerland Ambassador to Zimbabwe Niculin Jager said his country was an honest broker and had been invited to take part in the project.

“We believe the project would be a milestone for African history and liberation, and Switzerland has a broad understanding of digitisation and archiving so we have been invited to join the endeavour of this project through archiving and digitisation,” he said.

He said they will also provide access to documents from the Switzerland Solidarity Movement that played a key role in Africa’s struggle for self-determination.

The head of INSTAK secretariat, Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi said the President had approved the architectural design and would be unveiled on May 24.

The building had been designed by architects from Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa in the spirit of Pan-Africanism.

Ambassador Muzawazi said the construction of the museum would commence soon and would be completed within 18 months.

He added that the building would be constructed at a cost of US$120 million with support from various partners.

Liberation artefacts belonging to former Vice Presidents Simon Muzenda and Joseph Msika and liberation icons Cdes Josiah Tongogara and Leopold Takawira, among others, would be displayed in the museum, including those of icons from the African continent such as Ghana’s founding president, Kwame Nkrumah.

INSTAK chairperson Professor Simbi Mubako recently said a Museum of African Liberation was a most appropriate project for a pan-Africanist body like INSTAK to embark on.

He said President Mnangagwa was personally most encouraging about the work of INSTAK, especially the idea of establishing the Museum of African Liberation in Zimbabwe.

The museum is conceived as a monument of the epic struggle to liberate the African people from European colonialism and apartheid.