Travel Company SaManyika Connect urged the travellers to visit the National Heroes Acre which is a burial ground and national monument located in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The national monument is a site spread over 23 hectares (57 acres), situated on a ridge, 7km away from Harare, towards the Norton.
The National Heroes Acre is a powerful monument that symbolizes the nationalism of Zimbabwe and their patriotism. It is a place that I built and where Zimbabweans can come to pay their respect to the martyrs who fought and died for their country.
At the monument place, Zimbabweans can come to learn about their history and reaffirm their commitment to their nation.
To visit the national monument, the visitors need to pay an entrance fee:
- For Locals: the site will charge for adults $4 and for children $2
- For Regionals: the site will charge $7 for adults and $5 for children
- For International people: the site will charge $10 for adults and $5 for children
Reportedly, the monument is stated to commemorate Patriot Front guerrillas killed during the Rhodesian Bush War and contemporary Zimbabweans to tribute their dedication or commitment towards their country which justifies their interment at the shrine.
Moreover, the people buried here are considered heroes by the incumbent Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front regime (ZANU-PF) that has administered the country since its independence in 1980.
It also recognizes the ZANU-PF sympathizers who are the recipients of the ‘Hero Status’, most of the time.
The National Heroes Acre’s construction was initiated in September 1981 after Zimbabwe became independent. The national monument was designed by ten Zimbabwean and seven North Korean architects and artists who were recruited to draw the site’s layout.
250 local workers were involved in the national monument project. During the construction of the monument, Black granite was used for the main structures and was quarried from Mutoko about 140kms northeast of the capital, which was then known as Salisbury.
The national monument has a ‘Tomb of the Unknown Soldier’ that recognizes the unidentified insurgents who lost their lives during the bush war. The tomb includes a bronze statue of three guerrillas – one female, two male, a flagpole and an ornate artifice.
‘The Eternal Flame’ is another tower atop that measures around forty meters. Also, the tower is the highest point at Heroes’ Acre and can be viewed from Harare.
The speciality of the tower is that it gets lit and which was experienced at the Independence celebrations in 1982 and embodies the spirit of Zimbabwean Independence.
The National Heroes’ Acre also consists of ‘Wall Murals’. The two walls on either side of the monument carry murals that depict the history of Zimbabwe, from pre-colonial times passing through the Chimurenga, the Rhodesian Bush War and independence under national hero – Robert Mugabe.
Near the entrance of Heroes’ Acre is the ‘Museum’ that is dedicated to the rise of African nationalism in Zimbabwe and the anti-colonial struggle, showcasing artifacts, photographs, documents and other paraphernalia from the war and the period shortly after the independence.