In Dakar, Senegal, a statue was launched by then President Abdoulaye Wade. Designed by Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby Atepa and built by Mansudae Overseas Projects from North Korea, the monument depicts a man carrying his child on his biceps and holding his wife by the waist. The figures represent an Africa emerging from the bowels of the earth, leaving obscurantism to go towards the light.
The statue stands 50 metres tall on one of the twin hills known as Collines des Mamelles in the Ouakam suburb, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Construction of the bronze monument began in 2008, and the formal dedication took place on 4 April 2010. The date coincided with Senegal's National Day, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the country's independence from France.
The monument is the tallest statue in Africa. It was inspired by the vision of Senegal's first president, Léopold Sédar Senghor, for the country's future. The project was intended to provide monuments to herald a new era of African Renaissance, showing a family drawn up towards the sky.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Mutabor
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