Zim, Cuba Sign MoU on Liberation Artefacts

Rutendo Mazhindu- Zim Now Reporter

Zimbabwe and Cuba have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the transfer of military equipment used in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale to the Museum of African Liberation in Harare.

The agreement, signed in Havana on June 10, 2025, marks a significant step in preserving Africa’s liberation history.
The signing ceremony was attended by officials from both countries, including Brigadier-General Million Ndlovu of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and Cuba’s Vice Minister of Culture, Lizette Martinez Luzardo.

Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of African Knowledge, said the artefacts represent a pivotal chapter in the continent’s liberation struggle.

“This is equipment that was used in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, which was truly a defining moment in the history of Africa,” Muzawazi said.
“It signified the beginning of the end of apartheid, the independence of Namibia, and the victory of the Angolan people in their struggle for self-determination.”

The military equipment will be housed at the Museum of African Liberation, part of Zimbabwe’s Liberation City project.
Muzawazi said the museum is envisioned as a five-star institution that will preserve and communicate Africa’s liberation legacy through tangible artefacts.

“These are the real artefacts that carry the spirit and soul of Africa’s glorious past,” he said.

The latest agreement builds on previous engagements, including the March 3 handover of artefacts by Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of the Cuban National Assembly.
Diplomatic collaboration began in 2022, when President Emmerson Mnangagwa sent his Special Envoy, Ambassador Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, to present the Museum of African Liberation project to Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.

Sonja Perez Mojena, Director-General of Cuba’s National Council of National Heritage, said the partnership reflects the longstanding solidarity between the two nations.

“Afro-Cuban unity helped defeat one of the greatest enemies of humanity in the form of colonialism and apartheid,” she said.

The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, fought between November 1987 and March 1988 in Angola, involved Cuban, Angolan, and Namibian forces against the apartheid-era South African Defence Forces.

The transfer of these artefacts is expected to strengthen historical education and regional unity by linking past struggles with present and future generations.