The President of Zimbabwe, Mr. Emmerson Mnangagwa believes Africa’s freedom and political independence remain incomplete, until the continent has total control of its rich natural resources.
Mr. Mnangagwa bared his mind on Thursday at the ground-breaking for the construction of the Museum of African Liberation in the capital Harare, a project that seeks to document and preserve Africa’s liberation war history.
“The epoch we are now at as Africa is the story of full ownership and utilisation of our endowments to modernise, industrialise, and ultimately improve the lives of our people,” he said.
“Through this continental project, let us put to rest the one-sided euro-centric narratives which have been perpetuated in the public space for too long.
“We are marching together bonded by the ideals of Pan-Africanism, Ubuntu, and African renaissance, through the documentation, protection, preservation, and promotion of our rich liberation history,” Mnangagwa said.
The project is being spearheaded by the Institute of African Knowledge, a Pan-African Research organisation, in conjunction with the Zimbabwean government.
The Museum has since received a major boost after China, Russia, and UNESCO pledged their support for the historic project.
China pledged seed money towards the project and has since invited Zimbabwe to visit China to get Chinese experience on how projects of such magnitude are done.
Several African countries have declared their support for the liberation museum project.
“The construction of this Museum is not to trap us in our past, but meant to ensure that we use our history to learn from the past and chart a better future for the next generations,” Mnangagwa said.