Senegalese president unveils £17m African Renaissance statue
Bronze representation of a man, woman and child emerging from a volcano is taller than Statue of Liberty

Peter Walker and agencies

guardian.co.uk, Sunday 4 April 2010 11.00 BST

Senegal's African Renaissance monument. Photograph: Seyllou/AFP/Getty Images

Senegal's vast African Renaissance monument was unveiled yesterday amid criticism that the 49-metre bronze statue is a presidential vanity project and waste of money.

The representation of a man, woman and child emerging from a volcano was inaugurated at a ceremony featuring hundreds of drummers and dancers.

The statue, which cost £17m and is taller than the Statue of Liberty, stands on a hill overlooking the capital, Dakar. It marks Senegal's 50 years of independence, and the president, Abdoulaye Wade has said he hopes it will become a tourist attraction.

Wade, 83, who is expected to seek another term in office at elections in 2012, said the monument commemorated the entire continent. "It brings to life our common destiny," Reuters reported him saying at the launch ceremony. "Africa has arrived in the 21st century standing tall and more ready than ever to take its destiny into its hands."

Wade has faced criticism for spending so much money on the structure when Dakar residents living in its shadow endure regular power blackouts and flooding. He has angered both Senegal's Christian minority and some within the Muslim majority population.

Wade apologised to the former group after likening the monument to Christ, while some imams have condemned the Soviet realist-style statue as idolatrous. Other have expressed concern at the thigh-length hemline skirt worn by the female figure.

The African Renaissance Monument is a 49m-tall bronze statue outside of Dakar, Senegal. Built overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in the Ouakam suburb, the statue was designed by the Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby and built by a company from North Korea.

Site preparation on top of the 100-meter high hill began in 2006, and construction of the bronze statue began 3 April 2008.[2] Originally scheduled for completion in December 2009, delays stretched into early 2010, and the formal dedication occurred on 4 April 2010, Senegal's "National Day", commemorating the 50th anniversary of the country's independence from France.

The monument is made of copper sheets 3-centimeters thick, and depicts three figures, a family group, emerging from a mountain top: a full-length statue of a young woman, a man, and, held aloft in the man's raised left arm, a child resolutely pointing out towards the sea. Construction of the bronze statue group was carried out by the North Korean firm Mansudae Overseas Project Group of Companies. The statue was designed by the Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby Atepa, based on an idea presented by President Wade.

The project was launched by Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade who considers it part of Senegal's prestige projects, aimed at providing monuments to herald a new era of African Renaissance. However the project has also attracted controversy due to Wade claim to the intellectual property rights and insisting that he is entitled to 35 percent of the profits raised.[5] Senegalese opposition leaders have also questioned the style of the project, labelling it "Stalinist", and its cost at US$27 million (£16.6m).[1] Opposition figures have sharply criticised Wade's plan to claim intellectual property rights, insisting that the president cannot claim copyright over ideas conceived as function of his public office.[6] Wade also plans to take 35% of the tourist revenue, with the remainder going to the state.

The colossal statue has been criticized for its expense, and, in a predominately Muslim nation, the local imams object to the idolatrous nature of a statue depicting a human figure, as well objecting to the immodesty of the semi-nude male and female figures. Although President Wade hopes the monument will become a tourist "magnet", bringing visitors to Dakar, those familiar with the inner workings of the monument note that the observation room located at the top of the man's head will accommodate only 15 tourists at a time, and the elevator carrying them to the top can hold only 5 or 6 persons. The only windows are in the observation room and the interior must be air conditioned at considerable expense.

In December 2009 president Abdoulaye Wade apologised to Senegal's Christian minority for comparing the statue to Jesus Christ.