2000 – African Renaissance Monument Announced in Senegal

On May 25, 2000—Africa Day—the government of Senegal announced plans for the African Renaissance Monument, a 160-foot statue to be built in Dakar symbolizing a new era of African unity, strength, and self-determination. Completed in 2010, the monument stands taller than the Statue of Liberty and represents a man, woman, and child ascending toward the future. Though controversial for its cost and North Korean construction firm, the monument was intended to showcase a Pan-African vision for the 21st century. May 25 remains the symbolic date of its conceptual birth, aligning with the spirit of the African Union. The statue is now a major tourist site and a cultural emblem of Africa’s resurgence in global affairs. It challenges prevailing Western narratives and asserts the continent’s capacity for grandeur and innovation. The African Renaissance Monument remains one of the boldest artistic declarations of Black pride and potential.