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South Africa: Sculpture of South American Liberator Unveiled in Pretoria
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BuaNews (Tshwane)
24 July 2008
Posted to the web 24 July 2008
Edwin Tshivhidzo
Pretoria
A sculpture of one of South America's greatest liberation heroes has been unveiled at the Pretoria Art Museum.
A bronze bust of Simon Bolivar, known as El Liberator (meaning the Liberator), will now be a permanent feature in the museum's gardens.
The Department of Foreign Affairs requested that the bust be placed at the garden in front of the museum, to enhance the international and national status of Pretoria.
The international symbolic exchange programme between South African and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has also resulted in a statue of former President Nelson Mandela gracing a museum in that country.
Born in 1783 in Caracas, Venezuela, Mr Bolivar, was once one of South America's greatest generals and played a major role in liberating the people. His victories over the Spaniards won independence for Bolivia, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
His life was dedicated to the independence of the then Spanish colonies, and the dream of Latin American Unity - an ambition which cost him his family's fortune.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony on Thursday, Tshwane Executive Mayor Gwen Ramokgopa described the late General Bolivar as a "giant of the world".
"He warned people against the restoration of the colonial system under which they had suffered for three long centuries, confronted, by means of this Spanish-American unity that is still being displayed, the dominance or unilateralism of any imperial power.
"We are always conscious of the importance of cooperation and solidarity, which are fundamental in the cardinal principles of our external policy in order to deal with the most transcendental problems of the Venezuelan and South African people," she said.
Also speaking was South African Ambassador in Caracas, Venezuela, Professor Antonio Montilla who described General Bolivar as a man who fought for equality and dignity of the people.
Various busts and statues marking General Bolivar's life and works are on display in Washington DC, the United Nations Plaza in San Francisco, the Basque Country in Spain, in Mexico as well as in Cairo, Egypt.
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Statues signifying the friendship between Canada and South America and Australia have also been unveiled.
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