Page 33 - 41st Summit Brochure

HONOURING SADC FOUNDERS

Mechanism in Honour of SADC Founders

“Summit approved the Mechanism in Honour of the Founders President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Mwalimu Julius
of SADC, and urged Member States to operationalize the Nyerere. Tanzania hosted and supported the OAU Liberation
Mechanism.” From Communique of the 40th SADC Summit held Committee for 30 years from 1963, and the people of Tanzania
on 17-18 August 2020 in Maputo, Mozambique contributed significantly to freeing Africa by accommodating
liberation movements in their country, supporting them and
In August 2020, the 40th SADC Summit of Heads of State and providing diplomatic, logistic and material support.
Government approved the Mechanism in Honour of SADC Mwalimu Nyerere was Chairman of the Frontline States
Founders, including the use of modern technology to capture and one of the Founders of SADC.
the attention of the younger generation. Its implementation
includes the naming of venues and rooms at the SADC Teaching and Learning Southern African Liberation History
Secretariat and satellite offices; and in Member States to SADC Ministers responsible for Education and Training, Sci-
(re)name public buildings including Government buildings and ence, Technology and Innovation convened a virtual meeting
Parliament Offices, airports, streets and universities, after the on 16 June 2021 where they approved the roadmap for the in-
SADC Founders. tegration of Southern African Liberation History (SALH) and
The construction of a modern museum was identified as Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in the school curricu-
one of the major initiatives to sustain the legacy of the Founders lum in SADC Member States, requesting UNESCO and other
in perpetuity as a one-stop-shop for archiving artefacts and partners to support the Regional Working Group and Member
documents about the Founders and their legacy, including the States in this regard.
permanent preservation of the SADC Founders’ historical The SADC Council of Ministers had approved the inclu-
record, Southern Africa’s liberation struggle, and progress made sion of SALH in the school syllabus in August 2017 and re-
in regional integration, as well as wide accessibility of such quested Ministers of Education to operationalize the decision
information to the public. to enable the younger generation to learn about the liberation
The museum will collect and showcase the heritage of the heritage and advance social cohesion in the region.
Founders through a collection of books, artefacts, memorabilia, SADC has already begun to produce resource materials for
regalia, movies and works of art, and its construction is this purpose in partnership with UNESCO and the Southern
expected to start in the 2022-2023 Financial Year. African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC) follow-
ing a meeting of regional history experts hosted by Namibia. 31
Gradual Introduction of Kiswahili among SADC Languages The production of Modules started under a programme on
“Summit approved Kiswahili as the Fourth SADC Official the Regional Dimensions and Linkages of the National Libera-
Working Language, in recognition of its contribution, Mwalimu tion Movements in the SADC Region. Each module comprises
Julius Kambarage Nyerere’s role in the liberation struggle of of a short video, an illustrated booklet for print and online, and
Southern Africa.” From Communiqué of the 39th SADC Summit social media messaging. Module 1 has been completed with the
held on 17-18 August 2019 in Dar es Salaam, United Republic title, Youth in the Liberation Struggle and Beyond, and has been
of Tanzania running on social media for more than a year as a pilot initia-
tive, with a significant following, indicating the keen interest of
Kiswahili is now an official working language of SADC through the current generation. The Module 1 video was shown to
interpretation at SADC Summits, Council meetings, and SADC Council of Ministers in August 2019.
Ministerial Committee meetings, following the decision to Module 2 on teaching liberation history in Southern Africa
introduce Kiswahili on a gradual approach by using it first is in production, following a curriculum review conducted by
through interpretation at SADC Summit and Council. The the SADC Secretariat and UNESCO Regional Office for South-
decision to add Ministerial Committee meetings was taken in ern Africa with SADC Member States. The initiative seeks to
March 2021. support the Member States in their efforts to provide learners
The decision to adopt Kiswahili as the Fourth SADC with an appreciation and understanding of the shared re-
Official Working Language was to honour the Founding gional heritage, solidarity and linkages.

The Legacy of H.E. Dr Kenneth David Kaunda
“Summit expressed deepest condolences to Former President Dr Kaunda’s family, His Excellency Dr. Presi-
dent Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the Government and the People of the Republic of Zambia following the passing
on of H.E. Dr Kenneth David Buchizya Kaunda, first President of the Republic of Zambia and the last surviving
founding father of SADC...; and paid tribute to late former President Dr. Kaunda for the pivotal role he played
in the liberation struggle, and for laying a solid foundation for regional integration of Southern Africa.”
From Communiqué of the Extra-Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government held on 23 June,
2021 in Maputo, Mozambique
The death of the founding President of independent Zambia, Dr Kenneth David Kaunda has robbed Zambia
of its liberation leader and deprived Southern Africa of a strong campaigner for African unity and deeper regional
integration. He served as President of Zambia from Independence in 1964 until 1991, and he hosted the historic
summit in April 1980 in Lusaka, that established the Southern African Development Coordination Conference
(SADCC) and its resultant Community known as SADC established in 1992. Dr. Kaunda, popularly known
as KK, died on 17 June 2021 in Lusaka.