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Olympic Africa
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| The Olympic spirit celebrates not only the development of athletic joyfulness, but also the arena in which human rights and equality prevail for all. Our relatedness transforms the Olympic Games from merely another contest between peoples into a glorious festival for the whole human family. We are fortunate witnesses of a millennial event in the history of human development, a worldwide transformation toward greater freedom, cooperation, and social equity. Nowhere is this better symbolized than in South Africa's rise from the darkness of 500 years of racial oppression into the light of egalitarian society. The world rejoices with South Africa on this threshold of opportunity. The African continent has never hosted the Olympics. Recognizing the moment of their unfolding, in 1997 Cape Town bid to host the 2004 Olympic Games. Adopting a theme of "human development" they asked me to create a sculpture to commemorate the effort. For me the multi-colored stripes of the Cape Town 2004 logo symbolize the solidarity of the human family. Together the stripes form the shape of the African continent. Olympic Africa carries this symbolism even further in bronze. Melded together among the shapes of those diverse stripes are four individual athletes — a runner, a swimmer, a gymnast and a soccer player — representatives of the nations who are ultimately sisters and brothers. Cape Town ultimately lost the bid to Athens. Still, wherever and whenever the Olympics take up residence, the whole human family returns home for the same great celebration together. Let the games begin! |
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Copyright © 2007 Holmes Studio |