A Colossal Folly? The African Renaissance Monument

At one hundred and fifty meters in height the Monument to African Renaissance looms over the Senegalese capital of Dakar like a giant, loomy thing.  It was billed as a celebration of the continent’s renaissance but has become something of a scandal in the economically distressed African republic.

It is situated on the most western tip of the continent and, it was hoped, would become Africa’s most instantly recognizable monument – a kind of Statue of Liberty for the new millennia (and a good size bigger).  Unfortunately for the mastermind behind this colossal folly, Senegal’s octogenarian President Abdoulaye Wade the statue has offended a large part of the population of the country.  For a start, if you pan away from the monument, this is what you see.

The locals living around the giant are suffering from an economic downturn that makes ours look like a Sunday School picnic.  Power cuts are frequent, food prices are rising to an all time high and floods regularly make large numbers of people homeless.  Instead of a celebration of their long road to freedom, many Senegalese look at the monument as something that goads them on a daily basis.

A little reminiscent of Soviet era statues (oddly enough, it was built by North Koreans) you may also think that those behind the statue are suffering from a large dose of good old fashioned megalomania.  Not only that, a large proportion of Senegalese are Muslim – ninety four percent to be exact.

Although they are not hugely radical in religious terms the bare breasted, skimpily dressed female is not to the taste of many.  At all.  As for the aesthetics of the piece – don’t even go there.

It is thought that the female figure may well have to have her modesty returned to her before the statue is 'unveiled' shortly.

The price tag?  Around twenty million British pounds – almost forty million US dollars.

It may not seem an awful lot, but to the cash strapped Senegalese that money could have solved quite a number of their ills.

The biggest irony is that a symbol of indepence and freedom from opression has been built by foreigners.

Perhaps in a decade, when the country has recovered and its people happier, the statue - and its worth to the nation and the world - can be judged properly.