Mukudzei Chingwere in GOA, India
GOVERNMENT will engage India to secure full access for local historians to Indian archives that document the history of interactions with the Mutapa State, present-day Zimbabwe, Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said.
The Vice President led a Zimbabwean delegation to Goa, India, on a mission of tracing and validating Zimbabwe’s pre-colonial civilisation, as well as documenting the country’s contributions to the spread of civilisation and Christianity on a global scale.
A key focus of the visit is to explore the roles played by the heirs of the Mutapa Empire, who left Zimbabwe primarily as trade ambassadors and later became priests in the Roman Catholic Church.
Vice President Chiwenga said much of this history is preserved in Indian museums and archives, including at the University of Goa saying it was incumbent on the Government to engage with their Indian counterparts to gain full access to these valuable resources.
Speaking to journalists here, VP Chiwenga clarified that Zimbabwe does not aim to rewrite history, but seeks to organise existing information in a proper chronological order.
“When we return home, we will officially write to the Indian government to initiate collaboration between the governments of India and Zimbabwe, ensuring that both our governments and the church work together to obtain these records,” said VP Chiwenga.
“The archives in Goa and the University of Goa contain these important documents. This story must never be forgotten, it needs to be compiled, not rewritten, as the information is already available.
“It is crucial that this narrative is made public and exposed. Historically, it was documented, but has been suppressed, now we are working to uncover it.
“Our goal is to arrange the facts in the correct chronological order. We are told that before Father Michael, there was Father Diogo, also Father Constantino Di Sario, Father Joao and others did commendable work.
“We learned that Father Constantino died, while travelling by ship to meet King Emmanuel in Portugal. It is said that he fell ill during the journey.
“However, Joao went to Macao, in present-day People’s Republic of China, to spread Christianity. So, this history of our early contribution to early civilisation and spreading Christianity should be publicised and be known,” said VP Chiwenga.
Midlands State University academic Dr Terrence Mashingaidze, who was part of the Vice President’s delegation, talked of the importance of accessing the Indian archives for research purposes.
“Gaining access to these archives is crucial. We uncovered a wealth of information about the Mutapa Empire from the records in Goa,” said Dr Mashingaidze.
“This information could shed light on our history, and it is essential that we continue to explore these valuable resources.”
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