Cubans, Angolans and Namibians, fought along with the ANC in Angola to rid the region of the apartheid SADF forces. The Cubans served in Angola between 1975-1989.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
Zimbabwe Herald
THE recent meeting of six political parties of former liberation movements in Tanzania was a step in the right direction given the subversive activities some Western nations have directed at the region over the years.
What is even more encouraging is the fact the heads of the parties of the former liberation movements were meeting for the third time, having met in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
What made the Dar es Salaam meeting special was that it was the first time they had organised it as a summit.
Before this meeting, senior party officials had held a number of meetings to exchange views on the state of their parties and their countries.
Party leaders regularly meet at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels and in those meetings do exchange ideas on preserving the liberation legacy and the threats posed to their parties by the West’s neo-colonial and expansionist agenda.
But the Dar es Salaam summit was the more crucial in the sense that the leaders were exclusively gathered as heads of parties of former liberation movements to discuss an important project aptly named "the Roads to Independence in Africa: the African Liberation Heritage Programme."
The summit came at an opportune time when there is a pressing need for Africans to be reminded that they were the masters of their liberation and achieved their freedom through struggle and sacrifice.
There is every reason to celebrate such a legacy and to preserve it in the face of new forces bent on erasing memories and values of these liberation struggles.
A good example buttressing this is the recent order by South African courts barring ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema from singing the anti-apartheid and revolutionary song "Dubulu ibhunu" (Shoot the Boer).
So the acknowledgement by the parties that the construction of a museum, library and archives is key to preserving the legacy of the decolonisation struggle gives them a good starting point.
It was gratifying that the parties resolved to take an active role in documenting the proper historical perspective of their liberation struggles through preservation of historical sites connected to the liberation struggle.
They also undertook to identify and restore historical sites that were integral to the liberation struggles and collaborate with the African Union and Unesco in establishing the African Liberation Heritage, which they want approved by the AU summit.
This should not be an onerous task because some countries like ours are already working to that end.
Zimbabwe has in recent years been organising tours by youths to liberation sites like Chimoio in Mozambique and the Freedom Camp in Zambia.
A liberation war museum has been opened at the National Heroes Acre where material about the road to freedom is on display.
The spirit of solidarity and co-operation among Africans in the context of the liberation movements must be kept alive.
Following the achievement of independence and democratic rule, the parties must now co-operate to build and strengthen their respective organisations.
The parties must also be capable of self-renewal to be able to drive the process of social and economic transformation in their countries.
Most importantly, this rich history must be captured and taught to the youths and posterity so that they can emulate the sacrifices made by their forebears.
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