The other day, I talked to you about la Corniche Ouest de Dakar. Today, I want to talk to you about le Monument de la Renaissance Africaine, also known as the Monument of African Renaissance. The first time I visited this monument was in 2010. It was also the first time in 12 years that I had visited Senegal. I remember visiting the monument with my mom and sisters. We all loved it. I also remember visiting it in 2013 with my parents and two younger siblings. This time, we went inside and saw the museum which comprises of art and the story of historic people of African descent. Since I’m sharing some things you can do along la Corniche Ouest in the next couple of days, I wanted to include the Monument. Let’s get into some African Renaissance!
Monument de la Renaissance Africaine
Le Monument de la Renaissance Africaine was inaugrated on its independence day on April 4th in 2010. That same year, Senegal celebrated its 50th independence from France. That is why the Abdoulaye Wade, the former president decided to have the Monument of African Renaissance built. Le Monument de la Renaissance Africaine is a bronze statue with a height of almost 50 meters on a hill of 100 meters. The statue portrays an African family; mom, dad and a child that is pointing to the Atlantic Ocean. A lot of people may not know this, but you can actually enter the enormous statue. Once you are on the inside, you have two options: (1) go to the fourth floor to visit the museum, or (2) go to the fifteenth floow to see a great view. Since I never opted for option one, I will tell you more about option two!
Below is the personal message that president Abdoulaye Wade had for the youth of Africa and its Diaspora:
Message to the youth:
Youth of Africa and the Diaspora
If one day you walk at this monument
Think about everything that has been sacrified
Their liberty and teir lives
For the Unification of Africa.
Abdoulaye Wade – 2010
the museum
I really love that you can find a lot dedicated to the African Diaspora. This is also the case at le Monument de la Renaissance Africaine. The museum displays historic figures of African descent. Meaning that you will find about iconic and important people like Patrice Lumumba, Malcolm X, MLK, Marvin Gaye and many more. Other than that, you will find many art pieces from all over Africa. Also, a lot of concerts are here. For example, last year, we had MHD, Davido and many other artist perform at the Monument.
Have you ever visited le Monument de la Renaissance Africaine, been to the inside? Let me know! Thank you for reading. Don’t forget to watch the video and try to guess what I’ll share with you in a couple of days!
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