News / Africa
Madiba, Samora Machel statues, who inspired them?
16 Dec 2013 at 17:26hrs | Views
Nelson Mandela had his stature unveiled, the statue is of similar size to that for former Mozambique president Samora Machel with whom Mandela shared a wife. Machel's staue is 0.3 tonnes heavier than the Madiba one.
At Independence Square, in front of Maputo City Hall, Armando Guebuza, unveiled a gigantic statue of Samora Machel. The 4.8 tonne bronze statue shows Machel gazing down the avenue which bears his name towards the Bay of Maputo.
The statue is 9 metres tall, standing on a plinth that is 2.7 metres high, giving the entire construction a height of 11.7 metres, making it the largest statue in the country. Before Mozambican independence in 1975, this spot was occupied by a statue of the Portuguese warlord Mouzinho de Albuquerque. That statue now languishes in the Maputo fortress, which has been turned into a museum.
The ceremony to unveil the statue was attended by three other heads of state from the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region - presidents Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Ian Khama of Botswana and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, as well as former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, and representatives of the governments of Angola, Tanzania, Swaziland and Malawi.
A day after Nelson Mandela icon was buried with full honours in his boyhood village, a nine-metre bronze likeness was unveiled on Monday on the lawns of the Union Buildings, the seat of government in Pretoria.
The towering Madiba statue depicts a smiling Mandela standing 9-metres high, looking out over and ready to embrace the city of Pretoria with outstretched arms.
The giant bronze-plated Nelson Mandela statue at the Union Buildings in Pretoria replaces one of Barry Hertzog, an Afrikaner nationalist and general who was prime minister of South Africa from 1924 to 1939. The 4.5-tonne statue is the largest of many erected around the world in honour of the anti-apartheid hero.
Several SA dignitaries, including former president Thabo Mbeki, Mashatile, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and Dali Tambo, head of Koketso Growth, which made the statue, were present.
Inkatha Freedom Party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Democratic Alliance federal chairperson Wilmot James were also in attendance.
At Independence Square, in front of Maputo City Hall, Armando Guebuza, unveiled a gigantic statue of Samora Machel. The 4.8 tonne bronze statue shows Machel gazing down the avenue which bears his name towards the Bay of Maputo.
The statue is 9 metres tall, standing on a plinth that is 2.7 metres high, giving the entire construction a height of 11.7 metres, making it the largest statue in the country. Before Mozambican independence in 1975, this spot was occupied by a statue of the Portuguese warlord Mouzinho de Albuquerque. That statue now languishes in the Maputo fortress, which has been turned into a museum.
The ceremony to unveil the statue was attended by three other heads of state from the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region - presidents Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Ian Khama of Botswana and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, as well as former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, and representatives of the governments of Angola, Tanzania, Swaziland and Malawi.
The towering Madiba statue depicts a smiling Mandela standing 9-metres high, looking out over and ready to embrace the city of Pretoria with outstretched arms.
The giant bronze-plated Nelson Mandela statue at the Union Buildings in Pretoria replaces one of Barry Hertzog, an Afrikaner nationalist and general who was prime minister of South Africa from 1924 to 1939. The 4.5-tonne statue is the largest of many erected around the world in honour of the anti-apartheid hero.
Several SA dignitaries, including former president Thabo Mbeki, Mashatile, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and Dali Tambo, head of Koketso Growth, which made the statue, were present.
Inkatha Freedom Party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Democratic Alliance federal chairperson Wilmot James were also in attendance.
Source - online
