Nelson Mandela statue unveiled in China museum
South Africans are, however, unimpressed and on social media say China may also have a 'Rasta' problem.
Picture: Minister Nathi Mthethwa on Twitter
Straight from the Global Citizen Festival in honour of former president Nelson Mandela, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa travelled to China to unveil the “Statue of a Statesman” also honouring Madiba.
“It was a great honour to be at the JinTai Art Museum in Chaoyang Park, to unveil the ‘Statue of a Statesman’, our beloved Madiba – a man whose life and sacrifice set an example of honour for the whole world.”
I would like to offer a special thank you to the artist, Mr Yikun, the Curator of the JinTai Art Museum, who was so inspired by the life of Mandela that he sculpted this bust for all those who admire uTata Madiba to come & witness the magic of the man who was our leader. pic.twitter.com/ej8LUq70vu
— Min. Nathi Mthethwa (@NathiMthethwaSA) December 5, 2018
The minister further sent a special thank you message to the artist and curator of the JinTai Art Museum, who sculpted it.
But South Africans on social media say China may have a “Rasta” problem on their hands, saying the statue looks nothing like the former president.
Twitter user @IamSiba_B said there was no way the minister did not laugh at the statue in private, while @Bafo said: “The Utatako crew needs to investigate this because we don’t recognise this tata, we need a DNA test done between SA and this tata.”
Others said the artist may have sculpted the statue based on Rasta’s paintings of Madiba.
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