"AFRICAN RENAISSANCE MONUMENT" UNVEILED IN SENEGAL

Mainstream media has painted a picture of waste, opulence, luridness and sexism in its description of the spectacular “African Renaissance Monument” in Senegal – the largest statue on the continent of Africa.

The 150-ft high bronze statue has been criticized for its cost at $27 million and its bold style.  It depicts a family  – a woman, man and a child emerging from a mountaintop.  The child, held aloft by its father, higher than its parents, points to the heavens.  The entire monument symbolizes “the strength and promise of an Africa that will grow, flourish and experience a renaissance of culture, economic prowess, innovation and achievement,” said the United Nations press release.

This past weekend, the inauguration of the monument, exhibits, performances, symposia, and celebrations also marked 50 years of Senegal’s independence, and looked forward to a unified, dynamic Africa in 2017 and the years to come.
So the adjective that more clearly defines the mission and the monument is: powerful.   Or as Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade said in his phrasing, “it is a salute to cultural excellence and the best of human achievement.”
The fact is the statue is bigger than all of its critics, and even its fans.  It is bigger than President Wade who has more transparency about him than those who would sit undercover on the sidelines and quietly plot strategies for enriching their own coffers.   It is even bigger than the Statue of Liberty.  And perhaps has more personality.
Throughout history there has been no man-made monument built without initial controversy, including the Notre Dame de Paris, African Burial Ground and Ellis Island.  The latter in fact is as much a monument to classism and caste, as it professes to be about hope.  As Professor William H. Mackey, Jr. would say, Read the history.
And even as we write this, scholars are rocking Liberty’s boat with claims that Auguste Bertholdi’s gift to America was intended as a monument to 19th century freed Africans and the masses of enslaved ancestors forced into subservient humility.  For now, it is clad in the symbolism of possibility.
Of note, many of the key representatives of the African Diaspora who traveled to Senegal last weekend at the invitation of the government were prepared to render the event and the African Renaissance Monument as symbolic.
Once there, it was another story.
“I felt special,” our friend and brother Pierre Thiam told us, yesterday.  At the ceremonies in Dakar, Thiam, in deep blue-black robe, sat next to the great Randy Weston, in a billowing robe of powder blue to match the Senegalese skies.  “It was a special moment for me,” said Pierre. “I sat next to Randy who has made Africa the center of his life and his music.  And sitting behind me was the son of Marcus Garvey, the most powerful leader of the early 20th century who proudly vouched for Africa – when it was unpopular.  “It was powerful, a day for Africa and the African Diaspora. At that moment of recognition I knew the moment was meant to be, and the spirit all along had been guiding me to it.”
Another friend of Our Time Press said Rev. Jesse Jackson was on point when he declared before heads of state, “We have returned.”
Senegal’s three-day celebration was in tribute to the country’s 50 years of independence as well as the unveiling of the Monument.   “It is the destiny of Africa, after four centuries of incomprehensible conflict and turmoil, to now become a continent united by thebest of human achievement, cultural excellence, prosperity, security, peace and progress.”
Tens of thousands gathered in Dakar for the celebration that featured performances, symposia, special exhibitions, parades and the dedication of the Monument.
Representatives of the NAACP, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and many other U.S. organizations were among many heads of state, artists, intellectuals and activists in attendance.? Among prominent Americans taking part were Brother Weston, Rev. Jackson, Benjamin Todd Jealous, Roslyn Brock, Dr. Julius W. Garvey, Dr. Maulana Karenga, Dr. Lonnie Bunch, Rev. Herbert Daughtry, AKON, Richard Gant, Sen. Anthony C. Hill, Sen. Rodney Ellis, Constance Newman, and Debra Fraser-Howse, and so many more..