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Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe has appointed five board members for the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) who will be tasked with ensuring that all citizens protect the country’s heritage.
The board is headed by an environmental and wildlife expert and former Deputy Minister of Tourism Brigadier General (Rtd) Ephmarcus Walter Kanhanga. The board also comprises Professor Sara Baisai Feresu, Dr Munyaradzi Manyanga, academic Virginia Madiro and Dr Senzeni Khumalo.
Minister Kazembe said to achieve their mandate, the National Monuments and Museums Act was enacted to establish a board of trustees to administer museums and monuments in Zimbabwe.
“The main role of the board is to administer museums and national monuments, to provide for the preservation of monuments, relics and other objects of historical or scientific value or interest.” He commended the work done in Mozambique and Zambia on the liberation heritage as an important Government exercise.
“Whilst a lot of work has been carried out in Mozambique and Zambia, a lot is still outstanding in these and other countries of the region where Zimbabweans were hosted during the liberation struggle.”
“More recently, Government has directed that the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe establishes a cultural centre in Dar es Salam, Tanzania, at the former house of the late national hero Cde Herbert Chitepo to showcase the role of Cde Chitepo in the liberation struggle as well as Tanzania’s unwavering support to Zimbabwe’s liberation cause.”
Minister Kazembe said works outside the country’s borders were a component of the country’s liberation heritage protection and development programme.
“This programme encompasses of elements that include the development and management of the National and Provincial Heroes Acres and has been recently expanded to include District Heroes Acres.”
Minister Kazembe said the establishment of the Zimbabwe Liberation War Museum was a flagship project for both the Ministry and the board.
“The preservation of the very rich and diverse cultural and natural heritage is a mammoth task. In this globalised era where the world has been reduced into a global village, one of the challenges that you may face as a board is to ensure that through the heritage resources and cultural achievements of the people of Zimbabwe, the imperative for national identity, norms and values is achieved and sustained.
“It is my fervent hope that during your term of office, you will have sufficient time to fully appreciate the purpose of the parastatal, its prospects and challenges and at the same time introduce and implement policy decisions that will further transform the vision and operations of this very important national institution.”
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