In Barranquilla, a big city in Colombia, there’s now a huge 6.5-meter bronze statue of Shakira, the famous singer. She’s won a bunch of Latin Grammy Awards in 2023. An artist named Yino Marquez made the statue, showing Shakira doing her famous belly-dancing move.
The mayor, Jaime Pumarejo, revealed the statue by the Magdalena River. He was with Shakira’s parents for the big moment. Pumarejo remembered seeing Shakira sing at kids’ concerts when she was younger. He said the statue sends a message to lots of girls that they can follow their dreams and achieve whatever they want.
The statue itself has Shakira in a see-through skirt with shiny decorations, dancing with her arms up. There’s a plaque next to it talking about how great Shakira is. It mentions her winning three Latin Grammy Awards in 2023 and talks about her charity work for kids called “Pies descalzos” (which means “bare feet” in Spanish).
The plaque says nice things like, “She has a heart for music, hips that tell the truth, amazing talent, a voice that moves a lot of people, and feet that march for the good of kids and humanity.” It’s like a big thank-you to Shakira.
Even though Shakira now lives in Miami, she said she feels honored by the statue, and Barranquilla will always be her home. The statue is a way of saying thanks to Shakira for her music and for helping kids. It’s a special reminder of her in the city she grew up in.
