TEMPO.CO, London - A statue of Nelson Mandela wearing his favorite batik outfit at Parliament Square was inaugurated on August 29, 2007 when Mandela was visiting London with his wife, Gracha Machel. In his speech, the former Great Britain’s Prime Minister, Gordon Brown praised Mandela as "most inspiring, greatest and most courageous leader of our generation".
The sculpture is made of bronze and is 9-feet (2.7 m) high. The plinth the statue stands on is shorter than the other statues located in Parliament Square. It was created by English sculptor Ian Walters at a cost of £400,000. The idea was raised by Donald Woods, an anti-apartheid activist who fled to England after apartheid system rejected him in South Africa.
"Even though the statue is in the form of a man, it is the symbol of all people who fight against oppressions, especially in my country," he said humbly.
Wendy Woods, the wife of the late Donald Woods said the statue reminds the world to the quality of humanity Nelson Mandela has. The statue of the former President of South Africa is standing side by side with other world leaders’ statues such as Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli and Abraham Lincoln.
BBC | NATALIA SANTI
