WOMEN Fund Tanzania–Trust (WFT-T) has underscored the need for the country to create a culture of unveiling and honouring the hidden histories of women who contributed immensely in the country’s liberation and development before and after independence.

The Fund sees that there are countless efforts conducted by women to shape the nation’s fate, but many have been side-lined.

Rose Marandu, WTF-T executive director made the call in Dar es Salaam over the weekend at a special occasion to honour the leadership of Mwami Theresa Ntare II, the first female national chief in Tanzania’s history.

Organised by the WTF-T in collaboration with the chief Ntare’s family and the National Museum, the event brought together stakeholders from various organisations both public and private to honour her legacy which has for many years been overlooked.

Marandu said that it is high time all the hidden histories of women who worked hard for the nation to be brought into the spotlight in order to serve as an ideal of inspiration for women across the nation.

Ntare was the chief of Waha from Heru and, in 1958, became the chairwoman of the Tanganyika chiefs. She died in 1999 same year as Mwl. Julius Kambarage Nyerere.

“We need to tell our generations how their mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers fought hard to make the Tanzania of today, through organising events to honour their legacies we will produce more patriotic leaders in the country,” Marandu said.

She was echoed by Zitto Kabwe, the former ACT-Wazalendo national leader who said that Africans have a challenge of documenting their history.

“We need to reverse the situation because without documenting our efforts, the coming generations will find nothing in history,” he said.

He called for more concerted efforts from both the public and private sector to research and document the stories of exceptional work done by women in the country.

Costa Shinganya, a child of chief Ntare thanked the WTF-T and the government for remembering the legacies of past traditional leaders.

“We are so happy for this, it has given the family courage that our mother’s efforts to liberate the country haven’t been forgotten, these occasions are important as they heighten unity,” he said.

Leader of Tanzania’s chiefs, Antonia Sangali thanked President Samia Suluhu Hassan for respecting and promoting Tanzania’s cultural values.

She said that President Samia has always been supporting traditional chiefs.