admin
The Herald, August 22, 1981
HEROES Acre, outside Salisbury, is to be a fully-fledged and modern national monument by the time of Heroes Days celebrations in August, next year.
This was announced in an interview with Ziana yesterday by the head of an 18-member Korean technical assistance delegation, Mr Li Nyong Zun, who is taking charge of the construction and development of the memorial area.
Mr Li said the Eternal Flame would be moved from the Salisbury Kopje to Heroes Acre, where it would be mounted on a 40m tower as “a symbol of the everlasting nature of the achievements of Zimbabwe’s heroes”.
“We were sent here at the personal instruction of Comrade Kim Il Sung to take part in the building of Zimbabwe’s revolutionary history and the birth of a new life in this country,” Mr Li said.
He said the decision by “the great leader” to provide assistance in building the national monument was “a personal gesture between the people of Zimbabwe and Korea”.
Mr Li said members of the delegation had visited historical sites such as the Great Zimbabwe ruins because the design of all sculpture at Heroes Acre had to reflect Zimbabwe’s history.
“We will make every statue according to the wishes, taste and demand of the Zimbabwean people,” he said.
He said statues to be erected at Heroes Acre would not depict any particular revolutionary figures but would symbolise all the heroic fighters who fell in the national liberation struggle.
Mr Li said the project was to be funded jointly by the Korean and Zimbabwean Governments but was unable to say what the total cost would be.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
- The National Heroes Acre was established in 1980 with the purpose of honouring Zimbabweans who died within and outside the country whilst fighting for the country sovereignty and national determination.
- The National Heroes Acre is a symbol of bravery and selflessness for those whose remains are laid to rest there.
- One major structure by the Koreans is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
- Although not as grandiose as the national shrine, there are provincial heroes’ acres in each of the country’s 10 provinces.
Residents of each province gather at these shrines every year, where the provincial ministers read the President’s speech.
Online Reporter