Zambia allocates land to construct memorial site for Chinese martyrs

The Zambian government has allocated two hectares of land to be used as a memorial site to commemorate Chinese martyrs who died during the construction of various aid projects in the southern African nation.

The memorial site will be used to construct a site to commemorate Chinese nationals who died during the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA), one of China's largest foreign aid projects, and other aid projects in Zambia.

Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Yang Youming thanked Zambia for allocating the land for the construction of the memorial cemetery, adding that despite facing economic difficulties, China decided to support Zambia and Tanzania to construct the railway line in order to help them pursue national independence and economic emancipation.

The Chinese envoy, in remarks delivered at a ceremony of the hand-over of the certificate of title for the land on Monday, said apart from providing technical and financial support for the project, China sent more than 50,000 experts and technicians for the construction of the 1,860 kilometer railway line.

According to Yang, 69 Chinese technicians sacrificed their lives during construction works in Africa, with 18 buried in northern Zambia's Mpika district while 17 other Chinese technicians died from 1960 to 1990 in various aid projects to support Zambia's development agenda.

"The Chinese government is planning to build a memorial cemetery, and to move all the Chinese martyrs, both in Mpika and Lusaka, into the same site, so as to make it easier for both the Chinese and Zambian people to pay tribute to these heroes, to commemorate the great friendship between Chinese and African brothers and sisters, the unity and internationalism embodied in the construction of the TAZARA, and to emulate the spirit of love, dedication, determination and sacrifice of the heroes," he added.

Yang said the Chinese government will make good use of the land and construct a memorial site that will signify another monument of the friendship between the two countries.

Zambian Foreign Minister Harry Kalaba said during the same occasion that Zambia will remain grateful to the Chinese government for the support rendered during the construction of the railway line.

"It is therefore only befitting that the Zambian government has allocated this land in memory of these martyrs who made it possible for Zambia to have a viable source of transportation to link it to the outside world," he added. Endi