Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to grace the official launch of Salim Ahmed Salim’s Digital Archive on September 30, 2023, the family of the former Tanzania’s Prime Minister said Tuesday.
Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi will also participate in launching the archive aimed at “providing a window into history through the eyes of Dr Salim,” who also served as the Secretary General of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU) from 1989 to 2001.
In a statement released by the former leader’s office on Tuesday, other guests who will grace the ceremony include current and former government leaders, development partners, and representatives from the private sector, academia, and civil society.
“The archive collects videos, images and text documents – such as speeches, notes, and academic papers – of Dr Salim,” the statement said.
“It offers unique insights into his journey in public service and his role in international diplomacy and the African liberation movements,” continued the statement, adding: “It also covers the broader role that African countries played in geopolitics from the 1960s through to the early 2000s.”
The archive, to be launched on September 30, will be available here.
Dr Salim’s family prepared the archive in collaboration with the Government of Tanzania and friends.
It highlights the moments that shaped Dr Salim’s life, and more importantly, in his own words, it aims to enrich the history of Tanzania and Africa.
“The materials in the archive will appeal to those who want to understand the role that Tanzania and other African countries played in global history and international diplomacy,” the family’s statement said.
Born on January 23, 1942, in what was then considered the Sultanate of Zanzibar, Dr Salim has worked in the international diplomatic arena since the early 1960s.
He served as Tanzania’s ambassador to different countries, including Egypt, India, and China, and served as Permanent Representative to the UN starting in 1970.
In 1976, he served as President of the United Nations Security Council, and in 1979, as President of the Thirty-Fourth Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
He returned to Tanzania to hold several senior ministerial positions, serving as Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister between 1984 and 1989.
He then served as Secretary General of the Organisation of African Unity from 1989 to 2001, overseeing its transformation into the African Union.
As Chair of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonisation, Dr Salim is credited with helping entrench a new era of independence across the continent.
A leading figure in the fight against apartheid, he served as the Chairman of the United Nations Security Council Commission on Sanctions against Rhodesia, President of the International Conference on Sanctions against South Africa and President of the Paris International Conference on Apartheid.
Recognising his contribution to Africa, he has been awarded numerous national honours from various African countries, including Togo, Rwanda and Liberia.
On July 6, 2023, for instance, Cape Verde President Jose Maria Neves awarded Dr Salim the Order of Amicar Cabral, the country’s highest honorary declaration, in “recognition of his dedicated role towards Cape Verde’s struggle for dignity and self-determination.”
