Staff Writer
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Special Envoy on the Museum of African Liberation, Ambassador Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, officially took receipt of artefacts and paraphernalia donated by the Government of the Republic of Cuba on 15 January 2025.
The items will be transported to Harare, Zimbabwe where they will be displayed in the Museum of African Liberation.
Among the artefacts handed over to Ambassador Mumbengegwi in Havana, Cuba are two military tanks used in the famous Battle of Cuito Conavale in Angola and a military personnel carrier. Other items are four boxes of military regalia, historic documents, books, pictures and films.
Ambassador Mumbengegwi said a befitting ceremony would be organised “to receive this priceless donation” once the consignment arrived in Zimbabwe.
The Museum of African Liberation is the brainchild of the Institute of African Knowledge (INSTAK). The Project is being implemented with the full support of the Government of Zimbabwe.
It is conceived as a monument to the epic struggle to liberate the African people from European colonialism and apartheid.
On 14 January 2025, the Command Element of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) formally announced the handover of the artefacts during a meeting with Ambassador Mumbengegwi and his delegation in Havana.
Other members of the delegation are Deputy Chief Secretary (Finance, Administration and Human Resources) in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Mr Zvinechimwe Churu; Brigadier-General Million Ndlovu from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces; and the Chief Executive Officer of INSTAK, Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi.
At the meeting on 14 January, Ambassador Muzawazi welcomed the donation and thanked the Government of the Republic of Cuba and the FAR for their support for the Museum.
“We would like to thank you for the gesture, and to assure you and guarantee the security and safety of these artefacts. We will make sure that these will be forever taken care of sacredly,” he said.
Ambassador Muzawazi explained that the Museum had space specifically designated for the Republic of Cuba within a section reserved for the Southern African Development Community (SADC), saying this was “testament to just how important Cuba is to the process” of the region’s liberation.
He said, “We’ve got a section on SADC, as well as for Cuba, Russia and China, which is now at 80 percent completion in terms of the structure. With respect to exterior spaces, outside spaces, some of the equipment from Cuba can be displayed there upon arrival. This is within the space provided for, and administered by, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
“Some of the artefacts we are receiving will be inside the Museum, and that structure is nearing completion.”
Ambassador Muzawazi also said the Zimbabwe section of the Museum was nearly 100 percent complete, while the entire superstructure of the facility stands at 25 percent readiness.
The handover of Cuban artefacts is a momentous marker in the implementation of the Museum of African Liberation Project.
Zimbabwe and Cuba enjoy strong ties forged during the Second Chimurenga when the Caribbean island state supported nationalist freedom fighters.
Post-independence, Cuba has contributed significantly to the development of Zimbabwe’s human capital and health sector.
The two nations collaborate politically and diplomatically at bilateral level as well as at international fora.
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