The aim is to restore the church built in 1890s to its original state. The director of National Monuments and Art Gallery, Gaogakwe Phorano told a press conference yesterday that the renovated church, formerly of the London Missionary Society (LMS) will be used as a place of worship by the village and museum for Old Palapye, the former Bangwato capital. The US embassy and the department of Museums and Monuments will unveil the $44,000 donation at Malaka, on Thursday. Phorano said they will be empowering the people of Malaka to form a community trust through which the heritage site will be managed in a profitable fashion. He described Malaka as an old city-state, which had a bank, a prison, a trade network with Mozambique and Malawi and a tobacco plantation among other facilities.
Historians say it is an example of organised state formation in southern Africa at the time. Phorano said Old Palapye has over 10 heritage sites. These include a sacred site, Dimomo, Phothophotho waterfalls, the ancient cemetery and masonry tools. Phorano said they want to apply to UNESCO to list Old Palapye as a world heritage site by 2011.
