The planning of the Ministerial Roundtable, in accordance with the UNESCO and AU mandates, will follow after the bilateral meeting including agreement on dates, venues and themes

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 22, 2017/APO/ -- 

The Ministers responsible for Culture of the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republic of South Africa and Ministers whose ministries are key in the implementation of the African Liberation Heritage Programme (ALHP) from both States,

Recognising that the ‘Roads to Independence in Africa: the African Liberation Heritage Programme’ seeks to celebrate Africa’s recent past in which Africans were main agents of their liberation and achieved their freedom through struggle and sacrifice;

Acknowledging the critical role played by the United Republic of Tanzania in providing material, moral and philosophical support to former liberation movements and the initiatives taken by it and other stakeholders since 2002 to establish a Continental Programme to celebrate the African Liberation Heritage, which culminated in its adoption by the 33^rd Session of the General Conference of UNESCO in 2005 and the 16^th General Assembly of AU in January 2011;

Noting the different supporting activities by various State Parties including the Republic of South Africa;

Appreciating the opportunity to harness and amplify coordination;

Institutionalization of the African Liberation Heritage Programme (ALHP) at regional and national levels is key

Emphasizing the need to fast-track the implementation of the programme, met for a bilateral meeting between the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of South Africa in Dodoma, in the United Republic of Tanzania, on 19^th September 2017;

Resolved as follows:

On the Overview of the African Liberation Heritage Programme (ALHP):

1. Capacity building is required at different levels, particularly for community outreach to reinforce conservation efforts; for heritage practitioners; and for the youth, women, and people living with disability through integration of African Liberation Heritage (ALH) in curriculum.
2. Research should be shared amongst Member States so as to inform the process that allows us to rewrite our own history.
3. Much was taken away from Africa by the colonial oppressors and other parties/stakeholders that should be returned and/or made accessible for use as key references for research and scholarship.
4. List with the World Heritage Committee, significant sites with outstanding universal value, within and beyond national boundaries; and support each other when applications for nominations are made, at regional level, to UNESCO.
5. Research and documentation must continue after the Hashim Mbita Project, and efforts should be reinforced to have the archives of the Africa Liberation Committee listed on the Memory of the World.
6. Engage the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) to adequately support the preservation of liberation heritage sites and encourage State Parties to contribute to the Fund.
7. Review policy and legal mechanisms in the ALHP’s participating countries in order to recognise and ensure the effective identification, conservation, protection, promotion and sustainable utilisation of African Liberation Heritage.
8. In implementing the strategy, the perspective of all affected communities should be fully integrated.

On the Draft Concept Note for the Preparation of the Ministerial Roundtable:

1. Considerable progress has been achieved so far at national level with several activities undertaken including workshops, recordings of oral testimonies in Member States, identification and documentation of African Liberation Heritage (ALH) sites, collection of archival materials and curriculum review in Tanzania, and the centenary commemoration of OR Tambo including public outreach in South Africa.
2. Facilitate the acquisition of ownership as well as guidance and mainstreaming of the Programme, in the agenda by political leaders.
3. There is a need to elaborate on the resourcing framework by the Ministers at the planned meeting.
4. Institutionalization of the African Liberation Heritage Programme (ALHP) at regional and national levels is key, as well as, transnational collaboration taking into consideration issues of sovereignty.
5. Objectives of the Meeting should not be confined to SADC as the Programme has a continental mandate.
6. The planning of the Ministerial Roundtable, in accordance with the UNESCO and AU mandates, will follow after the bilateral meeting including agreement on dates, venues and themes. Tanzania, as the mandated convener of the Programme, will ensure that the right protocols are agreed and adhered to with the host country.
7. The Roundtable Meeting will be hosted in accordance with SADC protocols.

On the Draft Regional Operational Plan for the Implementation of the Africa Liberation Heritage Programme (ALHP):

1. Governance and institutional arrangements should enable and promote integration into existing regional and national structures for cost-effective representation and implementation.  
2. Financing requirements for the Programme need to be adequately sourced by Member States to ensure the sustainability of the initiative.
3. Reprioritization of arts, culture and heritage within the SADC framework to foster resource mobilization and effective implementation of the Programme at regional and national level.
4. Collaboration to increase the number of World Heritage Sites related to the Liberation Struggles, and listing of joint inventories on intangible liberation heritage.
5. Special steps should ensure that the strategy is effectively communicated to all affected   communities.
6. Facilitate systematic and inclusive inter-sectoral coordination for a more effective, holistic ownership and implementation of the Operational Plan.

On forging close cooperation and collaboration between the two parties:

1. Exchange of information and production in the areas of common interest in the arts, film industry, museums, libraries, research, multimedia and archives for conservation, protection and promotion of liberation heritage.
2. Exchange and cooperation in the field of cultural relics, properties, heritage, preservation, development and restoration of liberation arts, instruments, sites, and historical museums of both countries.
3. Capacity building and research collaboration among heritage professionals, including promotion of continental, regional and transnational African Liberation Heritage and developing joint research projects and development programmes in the field of Liberation Heritage including infrastructure.
4. Sharing of best practices and exchange programmes in conservation, preservation, restoration, protection, management and promotion of tangible Liberation Heritage Resources for the purpose of promoting historical and liberation heritage tourism.
5. Sharing experience in the promotion of cultural heritage sites and museum exhibitions, conferences, workshops, research and staff exchange programmes.
6. Collaboration to increase the number of World Heritage Sites related to the Liberation Struggles, and listing of joint inventories on intangible liberation heritage.

Signed this day of 19th September 2017, at Nashera Hotel in Dodoma, the United Republic of Tanzania by:

Hon. Dr Harrison G. Mwakyembe (MP) Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports of the United Republic of Tanzania.    
Hon. Nathi Mthethwa (MP) Minister for Arts and Culture of the Republic of South Africa.

Distributed by APO on behalf of Republic of South Africa: Department of Government Communication and Information.