Charles Banda earmarks Independence Stadium Football Museum

By Ashton Kelly Bunda

TOURISM and Arts Minister Charles Banda backs Lusaka’s Independence Stadium museum 2018 Picture by Ashton Kelly Bunda

TOURISM and Arts Minister Charles Banda has confirmed that the legendary football pitch Independence Stadium in Lusaka has already been reserved to be a museum that will keep Zambian prestigious soccer history.

Banda disclosed that a team from the Tourism and Arts Ministry  and Moses Mawere’s Youth , Sports and Child Development Ministry have tentative agreed to turn independence stadium in the densely populate Matero Township in Lusaka  into a ‘First Ever Sports Stadia Football Museum’ in the world.

Independence Stadium

Following pressure mounted by electronic and print media journalists affiliated to the Zambian Developmental Media Alliance (ZADEMA), Banda, a veteran journalist confessed that civil servants from the Tourism and Arts Ministry and Youth, Sports and Child Development Ministry are working round the clock to establish the First Ever Sports Stadia Football Museum’.

“Our colleagues at the Youth, Sports and Child Development Ministry have welcomed this unique proposal and first ever Sports Stadia Football Museum idea of coming up with separate institution for sport history is progressing. We are already on the ground making arrangements towards the growth of the Sports Stadia Football Museum sector ideal,” an excited Banda explained.

Ucar Godfreu Chitalu

Tourism and Arts Minister Charles Romel Banda

The Patriotic Front Kapoche Member of Parliament (MP) told the author in an exclusive interview at Lusaka’s Government complex that the first sports discipline being considered is football as it has become a religion in the world and that Zambia has had a very rich history, which has contributed a lot to the soccer becoming an economic and employment creation sector.

Banda says transformation of the historical Independence Stadium into a ‘First Ever Sports Stadia Football Museum’ is but just the beginning of establishing one in a series of sports disciplines categories; athletics, boxing, netball, ‘nsolo’ (traditional draughts) and rugby to name but five.

Chitalu with Alex Chola in Lusaka in 1993

The former journalist who once plied his trade at Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) believes that sports museums boost tourism as former foreign coaches and sports scientists will be depicted in the Zambian unique museums, hence making it inclusive to foreign tourists apart from local learners and researchers.

Zeinab Badawi from BBC with Lusaka National Museum Director Victoria Chitungu-Phiri Picture by Ashton Kelly Bunda Zambia 2018

“We are working round the clock to find places at which to erect other museums countrywide to accommodate sports disciplines;  athletics, boxing ,cricket, golf, netball, ‘nsolo’ (traditional draughts), tennis ,rugby thus the football museum is not the first and last,” Banda explained.

The enthusiastic Banda emphasized that the innovative tourism sector has coined ‘Priority, Planning and Profit’ agenda under the auspices of the 7^th National development Plan (7NDP) poised to create employment and provoke artistic creativity among young artists and artistes.

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