Dag Hammarskjöld Crash Site
Dag Hammarskjöld Memorial is one of Zambia’s most important historical sites. September 18th of 1961 was a fateful day which shocked the world as it marked the day when the then serving Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Dag Hammarskjöld, died in a plane crash near the City of Ndola in Northern Rhodesia, now called Zambia. Dag Hammarskjöld, alongside 15 other international civil servants, perished on his way to Ndola on a peace mission to hold talks with the then Prime Minister of Katanga Province, Moitse Shombe. In remembrance of this tragic event, a memorial site has been built on the grounds where the plane crashed which is located 13 kilometres (8 miles) from the City of Ndola, in the Ndola West Forest Reserve. The site has since 2007 been listed on the tentative list for Word Heritage Sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) awaiting consideration as a site of international significance to humanity. To date, the cause of the plane crash has not yet been clearly established hence the crash is steeped in controversy.
Dag Hammarskjöld as UN Secretary General
Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld (Born: July 29, 1905. Died: September 18, 1961) was a Swedish economist and diplomat who served as the second Secretary-General of the UN. He was unanimously elected as Secretary General by the General Assembly on 7th April 1953, on the recommendation of the Security Council and he took oath of office to serve his first five-year term on 10th April 1953. He was later reappointed unanimously as Secretary General of the United Nations in September 1957, six months before the end of his first term, to serve for another five -year term which he did until his tragic death in 1961. Dag Hammarskjold used his terms in office as Secretary General to prevent conflicts around the world and some of his notable achievements include; restructuring the UN to make it more effective, creating the basis for UN peacekeeping operation as well as successfully implementing his “preventive diplomacy” approach to peace keeping. He firmly stood by the UN Charter and lost his life in a plane crash on a mission to mediate a dialogue process to bring peace to Congo. He was posthumously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding service.
The Crash
The aircraft named the Albertina, a Douglas DC 6, that was carrying the second UN Secretary General crashed on the night of the 17th of September 1961 outside the City of Ndola, minutes before reaching its destination at Ndola Airport in what was then a British protectorate called Northern Rhodesia and now called Zambia. Dag Hammarskjöld along with 15 others perished en route to Ndola to hold cease-fire negotiations with Moitse Shombe the then Prime Minister for Katanga Province. The plane slashed the top of many trees over 500 metres before it finally hit the ground in the un-gazzetted North West Forest of Ndola District. It is at this spot where a memorial site has been built in remembrance of the 16 that perished in the crash (including a crew of 5). There was 1 initial survivor that died after 5 days.
Controversy Around the Crash
Since the real cause of the crash remains unknown to this day, the crash has been steeped in controversy and many theories have since emerged to explain what may have caused the crash. Despite many investigations by various authorities, the real circumstances that lead to the fatal crash have remained unclear. One of the explanations for this uncertainty was that there were looters that passed through the crash site before official search parties found the wreckage of the plane. It took over 15 hours for the official search parties to locate the debris of the plane at the site to begin their investigations. This being the case, many theories have emerged around what led to the crash which are available for public scrutiny at the Dag Hammarskjöld Memorial Crash Site in Ndola.
Features of the Memorial Site
The Dag Hammarskjöld Memorial Crash Site was declared a national monument in 1974 which makes it a historical landmark. A memorial garden has since been established at the site with a cairn at the centre of the garden which is surrounded by a lawn and belts of shrubs with trees on the outer circle of the site. In 1981, a museum was built at the site where the story of the crash comes to life with details of the story well illustrated. The museum is also used for collecting materials and books on the life Dag Hammarskjöld and the role of the United Nations. The museum has several interesting features that focus on the remembrance of the crash. The roof of the main building at the site is constructed in the shape of a plane’s cockpit with wings and is positioned where the plane passed before hitting the ground. The base plate at the bottom of the cairn which is at the centre of the garden bears the names of the of all the 16 international civil servants that perished in the crush while the circular paths around the cairn have a number of concrete blocks that have some Dag Hammarskjöld’s famous quotes written on them.
Annual Memorial Ceremony
Every 17th September of each year, a memorial service is organised at the memorial site which is attended by diplomats and UN missions in Zambia and is graced by the Republican President of Zambia in honour of Dag Hammarskjold and his colleagues. During the 40th Anniversary of this service, the incumbent Secretary General of UN His Excellency Kofi Annan unveiled a plague at the memorial site which marks the spot where the body of Dag Hammarskjöld was found from the wreckage of the plane. His body was found in a semi-seated position on an anthill away from the rest of the planes’ wreckage.
Preparations to Visit the Site
The Dag Hammarskjold Memorial Crash Site can easily be accessed by road from the City of Ndola. You can either get on cab from Ndola or drive your own car to the site. If take then option of driving your own car and wish to park your car inside the memorial’s premises, it will attract a charge of ZMW5.00 for residents and US$5.00 for non-residents. To get to the site you have to drive 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) along the Ndola-Kitwe Highway then for 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) off the Highway on tared road all the way to the Memorial site. The site is open daily throughout the year from 08:30 hours to 16:30 hours (8:30am – 4:30pm) and due to its international importance, there is a statutory entry fee of ZMW8.00 for adults and ZMW4.00 for children for Zambian residents while for non-residents the fees are US$15.00 for adults and US7.00 for children or Zambian Kwacha equivalent. A guide is always available at the site to take visitors around and narrate the various issues that surround the crash as well as the memorial site. Photography inside the museum at the site is prohibited while photography outside of the museum on the site it is permissible.