Home Institution
University of Denver
Publication Date
Fall 2011
Abstract
On 3 April 2010, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal inaugurated and dedicated the African Renaissance Monument to the people of his country, the people of Africa, and the rest of the world. By far one of the largest and most ambitious of his “Grand Projects,” the Monument has been enshrouded in controversy since its inception. Some have called it an idolatrous statue that insults the fundamental values of Islam, while others have praised it as a beacon of freedom leading Africa into the future. The research focuses on this controversy, and we begin by understanding the background and underlying debate of if the Monument has transformed from a symbol of freedom to a symbol of the national frustration of the people towards their government. A variety of opinions and perspectives were collected from three important and conducive fields: artistic, political, and academic. In the end, the hope is to gain a better insight into the controversy through analysis of the three perspectives and come to a conclusion on the Monument’s actual representation
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Family, Life Course, and Society | Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Politics and Social Change
Recommended Citation
Ritter, Justin Wayne, "A National Symbol or a National Frustration: Academic, Artistic, and Political Perspectives of the African Renaissance Monument" (2011). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 1200.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/1200
Included in
Arts and Humanities Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons
Program Name
Senegal: National Identity and the Arts