Knowledge is like a garden. If it is not cultivated,
it cannot be harvested.
– African Proverb
Societies emerging from conflict and violence face numerous challenges at the local, national and international levels. Some maintain that a variety of strategies now exist for "healing" wounds of the violent past and for coping with the future. National reconciliation and peace building can be promoted through the effective use of innovative heritage projects for empowerment while providing redress for marginalized communities.
The VFTP seeks to document, in a complex and rich way, the largely undocumented heritage of liberation struggles in Tanzania. The silences that persist, despite the recovery efforts of scholars and practitioners in the fields of African history, cultural heritage and resource management, have unfairly slighted Tanzania’s advocacy in the fight for freedom. The many houses, apartments, meeting places, offices, and protest sites are evidence of a network of the physical spaces and places related to the liberation movement. This project seeks to record the significant contributions of Tanzania, acting as it did as a base from which the struggle for freedom was coordinated for countries across southern and central Africa.
This liberation struggle:
- Replaced colonialism with self rule;
- Brought freedom and democracy to the continent;
- Brought self-determination and restored dignity;
- Helped to unite the southern half of the continent.
The use of new media and information technologies connecting Tanzania to the history of South Africa's liberation struggle in the fight against apartheid has not yet been implemented.