Statue of Robert Mugabe

The Statue of Robert Mugabe is a 12-foot (3.7 m) high springstone statue of the former President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe at State House in Harare, Zimbabwe. It made by the Zimbabwean sculptor Dominic Benhura. It was unveiled in 2016 but was subject to criticism and mockery for its design.[1]

Statue of Robert Mugabe
ArtistDominic Benhura
Year2016 (2016)
SubjectRobert Mugabe
Dimensions3.7 m (12 ft)
LocationState House, Harare, Zimbabwe

Background

Mugabe had been Prime Minister and later President of Zimbabwe since it transitioned from Rhodesia and gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1980. In 2016, Mugabe asked for a statue to be made of himself and asked local sculptor Dominic Benhura to craft it out of springstone using chisels and sandpaper.[2] It took Benhura six months to sculpt it.[3] The statue consists of a 12-foot figure of Mugabe with his fist in the air. It was revealed at State House in September 2016.[3]

Reaction

Upon the statue being unveiled at a ceremony by Mugabe, it received criticism and mockery from around the world.[4] A number of commentators accused it of looking like "Superman taking off drunk" and being based on the design of characters from The Simpsons cartoon programme.[5][6] Others viewed it as following a convention of dictators ordering the erection of statues of themselves.[6]

The sculptor responded to the criticism by saying it was done in his style, which Mugabe knew of, and was not a mockery.[7] Mugabe said he liked it and also called for respect for the sculptor who had made it after inspecting another statue he had commissioned for himself.[3][8] This came after it was revealed Mugabe had spent $5 million on two statues of himself made in North Korea to be erected after his death.[9][10]

References
  1. Muzari, Godwin (2016-09-12). "Benhura speaks on President's statue". The Herald. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  2. "Twitter mocks Mugabe's new statue". The Citizen. 2016-09-11. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  3. Mugabe, Tendai (2016-09-10). "Appreciate artists, says President". The Herald. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  4. Laing, Aislinn (2016-09-11). "Robert Mugabe unveils new statue of himself as Zimbabwe endures economic crisis". Telegraph. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  5. "L'étrange statue en l'honneur de Robert Mugabe" (in French). Jeune Afrique. 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  6. "People Can't Stop Laughing At This Ridiculous Statue Of Robert Mugabe". Buzzfeed News. 2016-09-13. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  7. "Robert Mugabe statue: Zimbabwe sculptor denies mocking president". BBC News. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  8. "Robert Mugabe loves this statue of himself. Everyone else thinks it's ridiculous". The Washington Post. 2016-09-13. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  9. "Mugabe's memorial statues gather dust in Pyongyang". The Times. 2017-09-25. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  10. "North Korea Bags $5 Million for Building Two Mugabe Statues". Bloomberg. 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
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