adminRoselyne Sachiti Features Editor
My question is why has it taken so long to start a Zimbabwean project of maintaining our presidential and notable liberation war heroes’ homes which was announced back in 2012? Are we not proud of our history? Are we not scared of losing our history?
Presidential homes are sites of enduring legacy. They remain repositories of history and inspiration, years after the ascension of the leader.
In the US State of Virginia, for example, presidential homes of some founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville built in 1769, James Madison’s Montpellier in Orange (construction started in 1732 and restorations were completed in 1812) and James Monroe’s Ash Lawn Highland (where the Monroes lived from 1799 to 1823), among others, have been preserved and still serve various purposes.
They are tourist attractions and generate hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, with the most visitors walking in on July 4, which is their Independence Day.
They also provide a rich history and insight into the lifestyle and thinking of the founding fathers of the US.
The original furnishing has been maintained, and in some cases compensated for by replicas. Some sections have been restored to keep them the way they were during the 1700s.
In Zimbabwe, Highfield is particularly rich with Zimbabwean history.
Several of Zimbabwe’s founding fathers hailed from there.
Sadly, nothing much has been done to preserve that rich history in 3D and digital format for the benefit of future generations.
History has it that back in the 1960s, the suburb was home to some of the most influential black nationalists in Southern Rhodesia including President Mugabe, Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole, the first president of Zanu; Joshua Nkomo, the president of Zapu; George Nyandoro, Enock Dumbutshena, Herbert Chitepo, Maurice Nyagumbo, Leopold Takawira, Emmerson Mnangagwa and Michael Mawema.
It was at Enos Nkala’s house that the nationalists, including President Mu- gabe, Chitepo, Sithole, Tekere, Henry Hamadziripi, Mukudzei Mudzi and Takawira gathered to form Zanu as a breakaway from Zapu in August 1963.
President Mugabe’s house can still be seen in Old Highfield, where it stands riddled with bullet holes from an incident during the Second Chimurenga.
The President has not cut his umbilical cord with the suburb and remains a member of the constituency. He still casts his vote at Mhofu Primary School, a walking distance from his Highfield house.
While a lot has changed in his life, such an attachment should be a big hint of the history that the house and the suburb carry.
If anything, preserving such a house should not even be viewed as a political issue. It is the right thing to do for future generations of Zimbabweans.
If the Americans had not preserved the houses of their founding fathers on the basis of their political affiliation, Federalist, Democrat or Republican, would millennials have had a taste of that history?
If anything, the preservation of this history has created employment for many in the US.
These range from workers at the homes who include tour guides and those who help maintain them, among others.
Workshops on constitutional writing are held at Madison’s Montpellier, also raising money to keep the place intact.
Madison made a major contribution towards the ratification of the American Constitution by writing “The Federalist Papers”, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay.
My question is why has it taken so long to start a Zimbabwean project of maintaining our presidential and notable liberation war heroes’ homes which was announced back in 2012?
Are we not proud of our history? Are we not scared of losing our history?
So, why does it become an issue when debate to preserve Zimbabwe’s presidential and liberation war leaders’ homes starts?
Back in 2012 some sections of the foreign media reported that the Government of Zimbabwe had sparked outrage by announcing what they termed “controversial” plans to turn President Mugabe’s home into a tourist attraction.
“It is believed ministers want to turn the properties into museums as part of a project inspired by the renovation of homes in neighbouring South Africa previously inhabited by leading members of the country’s struggle against apartheid.”
Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi believed the South African scheme could be successfully replicated in Harare and there was nothing wrong with this ambition.
He was quoted as saying: “As part of the efforts to promote township tourism, we have proposed to raise the status of the houses which housed our early nationalist leaders into national heritage sites.
“We will be pushing the issue to be allocated funds in the 2013 National Budget as these houses need to be enshrined for posterity,” Mzembi said.
“What has happened in South Africa’s old suburb of Soweto is our benchmark and we would want to see Highfield become like that.”
Back then Information Communication Technology Minister Nelson Chamisa said the renovated houses would be equipped with the latest in visual technology to provide engaging exhibits for visitors.
What happened to all those plans? Are we not sitting on a gold mine? Why not start working on these homes so that the generation of President Mugabe and others can tell us the correct history of these homes, where he kept his books, the furniture arrangement, etc?
For instance, in Monroe’s house, the cot which his child slept in is still in the spot it was during his days.
His bed, family room, trinkets and wife’s clothes, among others, are still there kept under certain room temperature.
Also in Madison’s home, the library he used to read from while drafting the constitution is still preserved, his loaded bookshelf, chair, etc.
The bed in which he died is still there.
At Jefferson’s home, one would think they have gone back in time as the stoves, pots, plates and other kitchen utensils they used are still there. The story of slavery is clearly told at this house.
Even in neighbouring South Africa, the sprawling township of Soweto near Johannesburg has become a leading tourist attraction after houses lived in by the country’s first black president Nelson Mandela and other African National Congress veterans were successfully turned into museums.
Mandela’s home has also created employment for many locals on Vilakazi Street. Most now own restaurants, some sell crafts while others perform dances outside the house and earn a decent living from this.
After my US visit to presidential homes earlier this year with the Presidential Precinct, which is a consortium consisting of the University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary, I am still to figure out what is controversial about us Zimbabweans preserving our founding fathers’ homes.
Yes, we have other pressing issues, but so do the Americans, yet they still preserve their homes.
Why was this idea viewed as a waste of resources yet it has the potential to generate income and sustain itself going into the future?
If Jefferson’s, Monroe’s and Madison’s homes are exciting tourist sites, how does the same not apply for the homes of Zimbabwe’s founding statesmen?
Many Zimbabwean, African, Asian and Western visitors and researchers would love to visit these homes.
If anything, preservation of these homes promotes respect for those that came before us, and encourages Zimbabweans to fulfill their right and responsibility to create the country’s future.
Online Reporter