The Cultural Counsellor of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Zimbabwe, Mr Hamid Bakhtiyar has called for much greater cooperation in the field of museums between Zimbabwe and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Mr Bakhtiyar made the remarks at the end of a tour of the Museum of African liberation in Harare today.

He called for greater cooperation in the preservation of historical and heritage based information and artefacts.

The Museum of African Liberation is still under construction, with all the structures expected to be complete by the year 2026.

The Museum is the brainchild of the Institute of African Knowledge (INSTAK), an African think tank and is being constructed in Harare on a 100-hectare site donated by the government of Zimbabwe.

Mr Bakhtiyar who was impressed by the size of the museum project, said the museum unlocks opportunities for Iran and the museum in making the museum project a success.

He said cooperation between the museum and Iran augurs well for cultural exchange between Zimbabwe and Iran through the exchange of liberation war information and historical memorabilia.

The Cultural Counsellor said there is greater scope for cooperation between the Museum of African Liberation and the Holy Defence Museum of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He said Iran and Zimbabwe as well as the African continent share a common history of struggle against the hegemonic powers that had taken control of those countries.

Mr Bakhtiyar said Iran was prepared to facilitate visits between the two museums.

His host, Mr Joseph Nkani, the Marketing and Public Relations manager of the museum said that the museum will mainly store historical information and artefacts related to the liberation of Africa as a whole.

Mr Nkani said that it is envisaged that for each African country there will be a section of the Museum devoted to its liberation war history. The museum will also house the stories of other countries' sacrifices and histories.

He said the Museum of African Liberation is a unique opportunity for educational and cultural diplomatic cooperation by all these countries which fought to win their freedom be it through military or diplomatic means or even a mixture of both.

A vital portion of their history will be recorded and deposited in the Museum. The Museum will enable Africans and the rest of the world to learn about the history and struggle for freedom and human dignity by each and all of these African countries under one roof.

Each of the countries shall be able to provide the historical material, the weapons, the battles, losses and victories which were experienced during the struggle.

Mr Bakhtiyar was taken on a tour of the miniature museum, a temporary structure currently housing the first batch of memorabilia and artefacts donated by the families of the gallant fighters of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle as well as some from regional countries like Tanzania and Zambia.

From the miniature museum, Mr Bakhtiyar was taken to the mobile museum, Zimbabwe Defence forces park, the museum construction site, the museum’s commercial undertaking site which will accommodate the museum’s income generating projects as well as to the museum’s leisure park.