“At 1.8 metres tall‚ the Nelson Mandela Statue is the only life size statue at the United Nations headquarters‚ signifying the role he played in unifying the world under the banner of peace and conflict resolution‚” a statement issued by the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said.
“The statue is modeled after the day Nelson Mandela delivered his first speech to the United Nations Special Committee on Apartheid on June 22 1990. He urged the United Nations to maintain sanctions against South Africa until apartheid was abolished‚” Mr. Ramaphosa’s office tweeted.
The statue is fitted with former President Nelson Mandela’s prison shoes that he wore during his days as political prisoner 46664 on Robben Island in Cape Town, where he served a jail term of 27 years. #UNGA #Mandela100 #BetterAfricaBetterWorld pic.twitter.com/2J55r5DKXr
— PresidencyZA (@PresidencyZA) September 24, 2018
Watch the unveiling below:
