According to SADC, the Museum of African Liberation is essential to Southern Africa because it honors and recognizes the region’s founders for their role in the formation of the organization and the quest for regional integration.

Inspired by the proposal, SADC is about to ink a Memorandum of Understanding with the Institute of African Knowledge, which is leading the way on the Museum’s construction.

A draft MoU was given during a recent meeting between President Mnangagwa’s special envoy, Ambassador Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, and the SADC secretariat in Botswana.

Instak chief executive Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi said they had a very successful engagement with the secretariat in Gaborone.

“We are now preparing to formalize the relationship by signing a memorandum of understanding. His Excellency was briefed on Wednesday by the special envoy and the Head of State was very well pleased by the ongoing international engagement and response.

“There has been a positive response from countries that have been engaged so far, that is 20 of them and we continue,” he said.

Zimbabwe is the home of the African story, according to Ambassador Muzawazi, and this pan-African vision is the foundation of the engagement that the President entrusted his special envoy to undertake.

He claimed that the goal of this effort is to guarantee that the African narrative is institutionalized, protected, propagated, and unassailable.

With the exception of two or three, all of the nations that engaged in the armed battle for liberation are part of the SADC area, according to Ambassador Muzawazi, who expressed encouragement over the region’s support.

“The center for the armed struggle was 90 percent in Southern Africa in terms of the African continent. So naturally SADC is an ally.

“A lot of countries in the SADC region were members of the liberation committee of the Organisation of African Unity and also members of the Frontline States,” he said.

Posting on its website, SADC said its executive secretary, Elias Magosi, is keen on supporting the project.

“The project resonates with the region’s objectives, amongst others the operationalization of the mechanism to recognize and honor the founders of SADC for their contribution to the establishment of the organization and pursuit of regional integration,” reads the post.

“The envoy presented a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which outlines areas of mutual agreement and diplomatic support in the construction, including the contribution of archival materials for exhibition in the Museum.”

SADC stated that follow-ups and discussions about the project and Memorandum of Understanding will take place between SADC and INSTAK in coordination with the Zimbabwean Embassy in Botswana.

Situated on a 103-hectare plot of land known as Liberation City, on which building has already begun, is the Museum of African Liberation.

The Liberation City is a vast tract of land situated along the busy Samora Machel Avenue, named after the late Cde Samora Machel, the founding father of Mozambique, about 7 km southwest of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.

The Liberation Museum will be the focal point of The Liberation City, a new city inside the city of Harare. Other attractions include a 5-star hotel, a theme park, an animal park, a theme park, and several national monuments, including a heritage village.

It is anticipated that local, regional, and foreign tourists will find Liberation City to be a family-friendly destination, enjoying the historical and cultural sites as well as the commercial, recreational, and entertainment offerings that will be built in the new city.