Russia unveils Nelson Mandela Statue in Moscow, honoring the former South African Leader
Moscow City has unveiled a statue honouring the former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela.
The Nelson Mandela monument has been erected at the intersection of Michurinsky Prospect and Ramensky Boulevard within a square which is also named after the anti-apartheid, African freedom fighter
Commissioned by the Russian Military-Historical Society and built with Moscow Government support, the Nelson Mandela statue was created by sculptor Mikhail Baskakov.
The figurative monument blends bronze, aluminium, and mosaic smalt.
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It is also supposed to symbolize strengthening the ties between Russia and South Africa.
The hero statue also cements the engagement between Russia with African nations, while at the same time paying tribute to Nelson Mandela’s legacy of fighting for equality, justice, and human rights.
The official ceremony to unveil the statue in Moscow was attended by among other dignitaries, African diplomats, Russian officials, and cultural figures.
There is also a special film about Nelson Mandela’s life, which was also produced by the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Fondly known as Mandiba, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, who was born on 18 July 1918 and died on the 5th of December 2013, is a legendary South African anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa ruling the country from 1994 to 1999.
During his mission to champion for South Africa’s freedom, Mandela was arrested and imprisoned in 1962, shortly after arriving in the country from Tanzania.
Following the Rivonia Trial, Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiring to overthrow the state. He served 27 years in prison, with his jail term split between Robben Island, Pollsmoor Prison, and Victor Verster Prison.
However amid growing domestic and international pressure and fears of racial civil war, the then President of South Africa, Frederick de Klerk released him in 1990.
Nelson Mandela and de Klerk led efforts to negotiate an end to apartheid, which resulted in the 1994 multiracial general election in which Mandela led the African National Congress (ANC) party to victory and became president.
After retiring from the presidency, Nelson Mandela lived in Arusha, Tanzania from the end of 1999 to late 2000 as the chief negotiator for the Burundi peace talks, replacing former Tanzanian President, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere who had died in October 1999.