JAKARTA (YBH.ME) – A statue of a young Barack Obama with his hand aloft as a perch for a delicate butterfly is set to be displayed before the public on Thursday. The statue’s home will be in Taman Menteng Park in Jakarta, near where the future President lived from 1967 to 1971.
Barack Obama in bronze as a young boy.
The statued figure of young Mr. Obama is wearing a t-shirt and shorts as well as what appears to be a bulky medal. It is unclear what the medal signifies. The base of the statue, reportedly, is inscribed with a paraphrased Eleanor Roosevelt quote, “The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams.” The $10,000 statue was paid for by 10 donors, among them a group dubbed “Friends of Obama.” The donors claim the purpose of the statue is to inspire Indonesia’s young people.
Erecting statues to honor contemporary leaders has always been a none issue in the United States, and plainly has never been done. The same statue, if erected in the United States, would most likely lead to controversy.
The blogosphere is already heating up over the statue, with many comments likening the statue to idolatry. A charge that is often levied against Mr. Obama’s supporters by conservatives in the U.S. and abroad.
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country with over 230 million residents.
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John Romano is the publisher and editor of Yes, But However!, a musician, a former political correspondent for BBC Radio London, and a serial web entrepreneur. Follow him on twitter: twitter.com/yesbuthowever or John Romano on Google+John Romano article archive.
