{"id":250069,"date":"2025-11-07T21:35:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T21:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/250069\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T21:35:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T21:35:08","slug":"five-sculptors-shortlisted-to-create-nelson-mandela-statue-for-glasgow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/250069\/","title":{"rendered":"Five sculptors shortlisted to create Nelson Mandela statue for Glasgow"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five sculptors have been shortlisted to create a statue of Nelson Mandela for the city of Glasgow. <\/p>\n

The artists have produced models of their designs, which will be on display at Glasgow City Chambers for the next week before a judging panel chooses one artist to produce the final sculpture.<\/p>\n

The artwork will be sited at Nelson Mandela Place next October in honour of his connections to the city.<\/p>\n

Glasgow was the first major city to give Nelson Mandela the freedom award\u00a0as he was locked away in the infamous Robben Island prison.<\/p>\n

Even before his visit, which took place a year before he was elected president, Mandela had thanked the \u201ccitizens of Glasgow\u201d for being the first to offer him the Freedom of the City, at a time when many others were still condemning him as a terrorist for his role in challenging the system of racial segregation in South Africa.<\/p>\n

In October 1993, the anti-apartheid revolutionary visited Glasgow to accept the freedom of nine UK cities awarded to him as he languished in a South African jail cell.<\/p>\n

He thanked people for the support they had shown him and his country in their struggle against a racist and oppressive regime.<\/p>\n

In his now famous speech from a wet and windy George Square during his visit to the city in October 1993, Mandela said: \u201cWhile we were physically denied our freedom, a city 6,000 miles away, and as renowned as Glasgow, refused to accept the legitimacy of the apartheid system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacqueline McLaren, lord provost of Glasgow, said the new statue will be a way of honouring Mandela\u2019s \u201cunique\u201d and historic connections to the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was there when Nelson Mandela was in George Square a long time ago when I was young,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s really important \u2013 it\u2019s part of Glasgow\u2019s story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chair of the Nelson Mandela Scottish Memorial Foundation, Brian Filling, added: \u201cI think it\u2019s important because Glasgow has had a long relationship with the struggle against apartheid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Filling said the public will be invited to view the model statues and give their views on which they think would be best.<\/p>\n

At the end of the month, a judging panel will make the final decision about which artist will be selected to create the final sculpture.<\/p>\n

The final statue is expected to be unveiled in Nelson Mandela Place on October 9 \u2013 the anniversary of Mandela\u2019s 1993 visit to Glasgow.<\/p>\n

Mr Filling said the judging panel will make its decision before the end of November.<\/p>\n

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