PRETORIA, South Africa — The Government of South Africa has pledged to send a fully funded, high-powered technical, tourism, and cultural delegation to Liberia to support the establishment of the country’s proposed National Peace, Reconciliation, and Memorial Museum.
The commitment was reached during high-level discussions between South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture, Hon. Gayton McKenzie, and Liberia’s Minister of State without Portfolio, Hon. Hadja Mamaka Bility. Minister Bility led a delegation appointed and dispatched by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. as part of his administration’s broader efforts to advance national peace, reconciliation, historical preservation, and healing.
Minister McKenzie directed that the South African mission include senior experts from the country’s leading museums, memorial sites, archives, cultural institutions, artifact-repatriation initiatives, and institutions experienced in South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission process. The delegation will travel to Monrovia to conduct technical workshops, share operational expertise, and assist Liberia in establishing credible systems for collecting, preserving, and presenting the nation’s history while safeguarding the integrity of its past.
Welcoming the commitment, Minister Bility stated that Liberia looks forward to working closely with the South African government and its technical institutions as the museum initiative moves toward implementation. She noted that the South African mission will coincide with efforts to convene the inaugural steering committee for the proposed museum, creating an opportunity for several days of intensive technical engagement between Liberian and South African experts.
Minister McKenzie described Liberia and South Africa as “brother and sister nations,” recalling Liberia’s historic backing of South African freedom fighters during the anti-apartheid struggle. Emphasizing that the upcoming engagement would be rooted in mutual learning and cooperation, Minister McKenzie noted that South African experts are traveling not only to teach, but also to learn from their Liberian counterparts.
During the four-day South African phase of the study tour, the Liberian delegation held discussions with senior officials responsible for planning, monitoring, and evaluation, alongside representatives from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. The delegation also met with the leadership of the University of South Africa (UNISA), where both sides agreed to explore avenues for knowledge-sharing, specialized training, and postgraduate education for Liberians in museum development, archival management, peacebuilding, and reconciliation.
Additionally, the delegation toured major cultural and historical institutions, including the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Hector Pieterson Museum, Mandela House, Freedom Park, Apartheid Museum, and the UNDP South Africa offices. UNDP Resident Representative in Liberia, Ambassador Aliou Mamadou Dia, described the outcome of the engagement as a major boost to Liberia’s museum initiative and reaffirmed UNDP’s ongoing support for the Government of Liberia.
This South African commitment follows the successful completion of both the Rwanda and South Africa phases of the study tour authorized by President Boakai. The delegation will return to Liberia to brief the President on the results of the mission, consolidate lessons learned, and begin formal preparations for the arrival of the South African technical team in Monrovia.
The proposed National Peace, Reconciliation, and Memorial Museum represents a core pillar of President Boakai’s national reconciliation agenda, aiming to preserve Liberia’s history, foster national healing, and provide present and future generations with an accurate account of the nation’s past.
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