Vice President Inonge Wina has called for enhanced storage and preservation of public archives and records for the benefit of the future generation.
Mrs Wina also challenged people and all those who saved the country in various positions to take advantage of the existence of the national archives department and ensure that the country’s memories are properly stored.
The Vice President was speaking in Lusaka yesterday when she launched the gallery exhibition of the office of the Vice President.
Mrs Wina explained that the objective of the gallery exhibition is to highlight the work of the office of the Vice President and its contribution towards the nation’s development agenda.
She added that the exhibition will also show the role of the office as a coordinating ministerial cluster meetings aimed at improving the planning of national development.
She added that the gallery exhibition is a collective effort, with a view of increasing utilization of the country’s national archive services.
Mrs Wina also paid tribute to former Vice Presidents for their different roles that they played in the country’s development process.
The Vice President further called on the Ministry of Home Affairs to help the general public be aware of the relevance of the department so that they can appreciate the country’s history and the need to co-exist.
Mrs Wina also appealed to scholars, academicians, researchers and students to make use of the archives department for authentic information.
And Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo disclosed that government remains committed to improving the services and operations of the national archives department such as ensuring that record keeping is digitalized.
Mr Kampyongo noted that this is because government is aware of the important role that the department plays in storing the country’s history.
He stated that in view of increased government activities, records in various sectors of the economy are generated and created, hence the need to have proper and effective storage systems for the future generation to access.
Meanwhile, National Achieves Director Chileshe Musukuma has challenged the media to make use of the archives for authentic information.
Mrs Musukuma stressed that there is no need for the media to disseminate unverified information, when they can access verified information from the national archives.
Queen mother of all Zambians
I challenge Inonge Wina to visit Zambia’s national archives after retiring from politics in 2021 and see the sorry state of the place. It’s nightmare to sit and read some old records there.Most records that should be there are not. I was looking for the actual text of the Choma Declaration signed by Kenneth Kaunda and Harry Nkumbula in 1973. I was taught about it @ school and I wanted to read it in my adulthood. Not a copy there but newspapers of the time that reported it are there. That sounds like Zambia, doesn’t it?
Good call.
We needed that like yesterday.
Some politician once said Zambians forget fast, one day i assure you will ask yourself if indeed you was once Veep, ask the General. You will just another forsaken national relic.
We also need FIC reports in there