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Africa's First Monument to Soviet Victory in Great Patriotic War to Open in Zimbabwe

© AP Photo / ARMANDO FRANCAThe flag of Zimbabwe blows in the win
The flag of Zimbabwe blows in the win - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 02.05.2024
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The Great Patriotic War is the term used in Russia and some other former republics of the Soviet Union to refer to the conflict that took place between June 22, 1941, and May 9, 1945, on the Eastern Front of World War II, primarily between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.
The first monument in Africa dedicated to the victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War will be opened in the capital of Zimbabwe and will be installed on the territory of the Liberation City being built in the west of Harare, which will include the Museum of African Liberation, said museum director Kwame Muzawazi in an interview with Russian media.
"The monument will become one of the centers of the memorial exhibition," Muzawazi noted. "Africa remembers well that it was the crushing defeat inflicted by the Soviet Union on Hitler's fascism that inspired the peoples of Africa to national liberation struggles and gave them hope of throwing off the colonial yoke and becoming masters of their own homes again."
He added that the monument's place in the Liberation City was due to the fact that the Soviet Union "made a huge contribution to the struggle against colonialism in Africa."
Various countries, including Russia, are providing financial support for the "priority social and cultural construction project," Muzawazi said, adding that the agreement was reached during a meeting last year between Zimbabwe's First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Liberation City is being developed to the west of the capital, Harare, near the National Heroes Acre. The nearly 100-hectare complex will house the Museum of African Liberation, other research and educational institutions, recreational facilities and business centers.

"The most important thing we want to convey to visitors is that the decolonization of Africa is not yet complete, even politically, not to mention the neo-colonial pressures of the former metropolises in the economic sphere, the need to discard Western narratives in culture, history and education," Muzawazi said. "There are still islands in Africa that belong to the UK or France. We still have to rethink our history and culture from our position. That is why one of the sections of our museum is called 'A case that is yet to be completed.'

Last year, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was ready to provide the necessary assistance to ensure Russian participation in the installation of the monument. The monument is planned to be made of bronze, stone and mosaic and will be at least 15–20 meters high.
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