Zimbabwe Wants More Russian Tourists to Come, Deputy Minister Says
Zimbabwe’s Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Information and Publicity, Nick Mangwana attends a meeting with civil society organisations on August 22, 2020 at the State House in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. – Civil society groups met the president among other stakeholders for talks on the exhumation and reburial of Gukurahundi massacre victims
InternationalIndiaAfricaEarlier this month, Amon Murwira, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, told Sputnik that the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) will soon open a Russian language learning center. Zimbabwe wants to see more Russian tourists, Zimbabwe’s Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Information and Publicity, Nick Mangwana tells Sputnik.
"I think when direct flights are launched, the levels of tourism should get better […] We would also like to have tourists not only from China and Japan, but also from Russia," he said.
AfricaRussian Language Learning Center to Open in Zimbabwe, Education Minister Says17 March, 13:14 GMTMangwana outlines that Russians should not be afraid to come to his country on vacation.
"I know that stereotypes about Africa in the West are negative," the deputy minister notes. "People think we live in the jungle, sleep in trees and eat wild animals. This is all not true, and we need to promote the real image – through films and advertising products. We are on the verge of doing this."
The deputy minister also believes that a restaurant serving Russian cuisine should be opened in Zimbabwe, as Russian culture is popular in the African country.
"We are asking ourselves: why is there no restaurant serving Russian cuisine in [Zimbabwe capital] Harare? But it should be opened not by a Zimbabwean, but by a Russian. Then it would be authentic. I would invest in such a project," he said, stressing that food is an important element of "soft power".
AfricaZimbabwe Seeks to Join BRICS, Enhance Cooperation With Russia, Ruling Party Speaker Says15 March, 16:43 GMTMangwana also said that the decision to erect a monument to the Soviet army in Zimbabwe makes sense since Russia played a decisive role in the liberation of many African countries.
"The decision to erect a monument to the Soviet army in Zimbabwe is very logical, because Russia played a decisive role in the liberation of Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and many other countries. Therefore, it is impossible to talk about the liberation of Africa without mentioning Moscow's role in this," he outlines.
Earlier this month, Christopher Mutsvangwa, speaker of the coutry’s ruling party Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF), told Sputnik that a monument to Russia’s victory in the Great Patriotic War would be erected in the Museum of the Liberation of Africa, which at present is under construction in Harare.Mangwana has also explained that Zimbabwe teaches the history of the liberation of Africa with an emphasis on the role the USSR played in this process, outlining that the colonial period saw a different interpretation of history.
"We don't pay much attention to the Second World War in history lessons, but we tell children in the course of European history that the USSR lost a lot of people in this war, that it was the USSR that won the decisive victory, liberated Europe and reached Berlin. But in colonial times, history was taught differently, we were told that Britain won the war," the deputy minister says.
He also suggests Russia should invite Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa to the Victory Day celebration on 9 May.
