It’s the thought that counts . . .

For centuries, statues have served as symbols of appreciation for the life and work of the person they seek to honour. It therefore goes without saying that resemblance is a key aspect of such a token.

It’s not surprising then that when a statue of Nelson Mandela was unveiled outside the provincial legislature in Mbombela in September, Mpumalanga premier Refilwe Mtsweni was not entirely impressed with its “artistic deficiencies”.

The statue stands 6m tall and cost government R 8.3m to create and erect.

Mtsweni’s view is that the characteristics of the art piece do not resemble those of the struggle icon. So vast are the differences that even the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) marched to the legislature in protest.

The minister has since instructed the department of sports, recreation, arts & culture to rework the statue in an attempt to get a product that actually looks like Mandela.

It’s not the first time Madiba’s likeness was distorted. In September, the United Nation’s statue of Mandela was unveiled in New York.

The statue is 1.9m tall and according to the presidency, “is fitted with former president Nelson Mandela’s prison shoes”.

The public expressed dissatisfaction over the statue’s hair and pose. The statue even featured on an episode of Trevor Noah’s The Daily Show during which the comedian joked that the pose made the struggle icon look as if he was saying “don’t shoot, I’m already dead”.

Celebrities are not immune to such artistic inadequacies, as seen in the case of musician Robbie Malinga. Malinga passed away on Christmas Day in 2017.

His tombstone by Bataung Memorial Tombstones generated a lot of traction on social media, with people saying the life-sized “statue-tombstone” looked nothing like the music sensation.

The tombstone later received a complete makeover.

Social media didn’t hold back when it ridiculed the statue of Cristiano Ronaldo erected at Portugal’s Madeira Airport. The statue was unveiled in 2017 and after negative feedback, the sculptor, Emmanuel Santos, recreated the piece in 2018.

Perhaps, where statues are concerned, the masses should rather embrace the saying “it’s the thought that counts”. –