National Heroes Acre (Zimbabwe)

National Heroes Acre or simply Heroes Acre is a burial ground and national monument in Harare, Zimbabwe. The 23-hectare (57-acre) site is situated on a ridge seven kilometres from Harare, towards Norton. Its stated purpose is to commemorate Patriotic Front guerrillas killed during the Rhodesian Bush War, and contemporary Zimbabweans whose dedication or commitment to their country justify their interment at the shrine. Persons buried here are considered heroes by the incumbent Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front regime, which has administered the country since independence at 1980.^[1] Indeed, most of the recipients of the 'hero status' were known to be Zanu-PF sympathisers.^[2]

The actual monument itself is modeled after two AK-47s lying back-to-back; the graves are meant to resemble their magazines.^[3][4] It closely mirrors the design of the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery in Taesong-guyŏk, just outside Pyongyang, North Korea.^[5]

The monument is an early example of work of the North Korean firm Mansudae Overseas Projects, which went on to construct a similar cemetery in Namibia, Heroes' Acre.^[6]