opening of Mbuzini Community Library
6 October 2006
Thank you, Programme Director
The Honourable Minister Airey Aly
Minister of Education and Culture of Mozambique
Your Excellency,
The High Commissioner of Mozambique
MECs here present,
Traditional Leaders and Municipal Councillors
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Twenty years ago, President Samora Machel of Mozambique and thirty-four of
his colleagues and comrades died on a hillside in this beautiful valley, when
their plane crashed under circumstances which are still being investigated. The
Government of democratic South Africa is committed to bringing closure and we
will ensure that this matter is resolved.
On 19 October 1996, the tenth anniversary of the tragedy, we gathered on the
hillside in the presence of the Machel family and the families of other
victims. On that occasion President Nelson Mandela said, and I quote:
"A memorial will be built on this site by our two governments, to mourn our
loss and to celebrate the life and vision of Samora Machel. This heralds a new
era in which the pioneers of our new society are honoured as they should
be.â
On 19 January 1999, President Mandela fulfilled his pledge and unveiled a
memorial in a moving ceremony witnessed by thousand of South Africans,
Mozambicans and members of the local and international communities.
This project was undertaken by what was then, the Department of Arts,
Culture, Science and Technology and the Department of Public Works in
co-operation with the Mozambican Government and the Mpumalanga Provincial
Government. It was designated as a Legacy Project: namely, one of the projects
that the government developed to rectify the imbalances in our heritage
landscape and to acknowledge the suffering and heroism of those who contributed
to our liberation as a nation.
From the outset in 1996, the view was that the project should be broader
than simply a monument or memorial and should include a facility that
contributed directly to the upliftment of the Mbuzini community. Therefore the
legacy project was conceived of in two phases.
The first was the construction of the memorial which has become a place of
homage and pilgrimage for South Africans and Mozambicans alike, and the
government also improved the road infrastructure to make Mbuzini more
accessible to the rest of the province.
The second phase is this library: It was strongly felt that a library would
be an appropriate community amenity that exemplifies the visions and ideals of
the late President Machel and also former President Mandela.
As President Mandela said in 1996:
"But we know that, when all is said and done, the best tribute that we can
pay Samora Machel and those who perished on that fateful day, is to eradicate
poverty, illiteracy and disease, and to create prosperous societies whose ethos
of justice and equity were a passion of Samoraâs life.
Together, let us build a better Southern Africa"
The rural areas of our country are in desperate need of socio-economic and
community development and a library is a key facility where the youth can
receive the materials to bolster their education, develop the critical thinking
skills that come from reading, and open their minds to knowledge about their
country, about Africa, and about the world around us. The nearest South African
tertiary education institutions are in Nelspruit and the nearest full
universities are in Gauteng. Libraries have been called the "universities of
the poor" because they can bring within the reach of all, the wonders contained
in books. Therefore the development of libraries in rural areas is of paramount
importance.
A library is more than just a building where books are kept, it can be the
nerve centre of a community where young and old can meet and where special
programmes will be offered to promote literacy and reading. Here, in the
Mbuzini valley there is a rich heritage and the library can develop as a
community resource centre where this heritage can be explored, debated and
preserved. I thank Nkosi Mahlalela and his council for making available the
land upon which the library has been built and I thank the Nkomazi Local
Municipality for agreeing to partner with the province and manage the library.
I understand a librarian has been appointed. I wish the new librarian well in
her important responsibilities and hope she will receive the cooperation of all
in this community.
While the body needs food meat and starch and vegetables its vitamins and
minerals; the brain also needs mental food and that is best provided by reading
factual information, such as that to be obtained from reference works and
encyclopaedias; creative information from poetry and novels; inspirational
information from the great thinkers of the world. All this develops critical
thinking, stimulates the imagination, and inspires the mind and soul. Factual
information from books, newspapers and journals helps create informed citizens
who can strengthen our democracy.
Given the tragic circumstances that have occurred in this valley it seemed
that the most appropriate method of giving effect to Madiba's words would be to
build a community library. I am also delighted that Mr Mandela has remained
engaged with this project and that he and the Mandela Foundation, has agreed to
loan us two special exhibitions for this auspicious occasion. The first is
outside in the marquee and is a special, interactive exhibition on the making
of the Madiba comics series. I am sure that many of the children and learners
here have tried their hand at creating some of their own cartoons. The second,
which is inside the library, fits in with the theme of African leadership,
selected for this library is a collection of books, donated to the former
President, by their authors that exemplify Nelson Mandelaâs inspirational and
leadership qualities.
I would like to thank Tata uMadiba and the Nelson Mandela Foundation for
allowing these exhibitions to grace this occasion. The comics exhibition has
only been seen in public once before and that was at the Cape Town Book Fair so
it is very fitting that it is now here, in one of our most remote rural
areas.
Even more important, eleven publishing houses, responded to the call of the
National Library's unit, the Centre for the Book, to donate books to this
library and I really wish to acknowledge this public-spirited effort.
They are:
* Pan Macmillan South Africa
* Cambridge University Press
* Maskew Miller Longman
* Biblionef
* Mthombothi Studios
* ELRU
* Booksite Book Distributors
* Random House
* Umuzi
* New Africa Books
* New Readers Publishers
The project was also assisted by the Cape Town City Libraries and by NND 24
who transported all the books to this destination.
I would like to conclude with President Samora Machel's words:
"When we took up arms to defeat the older order, we felt the obscure need to
create a new society: strong healthy prosperous, in which people free from all
exploitation would co-operate for the progress of all."
It is my hope that this library will contribute in concrete terms to the
realisation of President Machel's vision. Finally, as I declare this library
officially open, I do so in the words of the Freedom Charter:
"Let the doors of learning and culture be open to all!"
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
6 October 2006
