By Bridget Mananavire
The United States of America will officially open its $292 million embassy campus on January 10 and start operating from the site on January 21.
It sits on 116-acre site in Bluffhill and will accommodate over 350 embassy staff. The campus is self-sustainable with its own water source and power generation as well as solar power.
The multi-building campus includes a chancery building, support services annex, warehouse, utility building, the Marine Security Guard Residence and fitness facilities for the embassy community.
The campus also has an art collection, curated by the Office of Art in Embassies and features 29 works from artists from both the United States and Zimbabwe.
The art collection includes a seven by 20-foot drawing by artist Robert Pruitt titled “Forever’s People” which depicts a grouping of seven figures that express a blending of references to place, history and culture to bridge together identities of the United States and Zimbabwe.
American embassy officials have described the campus as a symbol of America’s commitment to Zimbabwe with its perimeter modelled to resemble the Great Zimbabwe ruins in Masvingo as homage to the country’s heritage. DailyNews
