Tanzania to be center of African liberation heritage

Dodoma. Tanzania has been selected to be the center of African Liberation Heritage Programme that seeks to celebrate African’s recent past in which Africans were the main agents of liberation and achieved their freedom through struggle and sacrifice.

Addressing the media on late Tuesday September 19, after Bilateral Ministerial Meeting between South Africa and Tanzania, Minister of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe said the two parties agreed that center should be in Dar es Salaam.

Dr Mwakyembe detailed that special appointed committee have a duty to advance the idea to other SADC members seeking approve from the regional body in accordance with Unesco and AU mandates.

Dr Mwakyembe said the programme could enable Tanzanians and Africans at large to preserve the liberation heritage so as to write their own history.

“Currently a lots of liberation struggle stories are still in people’s heads, we need them to tell us of what happened and how then we shall put it in writing and other format such as videos and audio recordings for future generation to understand our past,”  said Dr Mwakyembe.

He added that the Ministry has already conducted interviews with at least 100 liberation struggle veterans as Tanzania effort to preserve the history. Dr Mwakyembe said, however that, the ministry of Education also has started to consider curriculum review to include liberation struggle subject in schools.

Dr Mwakyembe noted also that at nation level the centre of liberation heritage would be in Dodoma where people could access all information about Tanzania struggle for independence.

For his part, Minister of Arts and Culture of the Republic of South Africa, Nanthi Mthetwa, said the programme will help the youth in South to understand the history of their nation and the friends who helped liberation struggles.

“We are here to emphasise the importance of the assignment, so as to identify and preserve the history,” said the Minister.

Mr Mthethwa said in South Africa people understand the contribution of the others African states including Tanzania but through the African Heritage Programme, the history will pass through generation without losing its reality.

The representatives to the meeting also agreed to collaborate in capacity building, conducting research among heritage professionals, promotion of continental, regional and transnational African Liberation Heritage and infrastructure development.