Shakira is made into a 21-foot-tall bronze statute in her hometown

27 December 2023 , 22:04

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Shakira is made into a 21-foot-tall bronze statute in her hometown

Colombian singer Shakira will always be a staple in her hometown in Colombia.

Shakira posted a carrousel of images on social media Tuesday, showing off a tall bronze statue that was dedicated to her, which was unveiled in her hometown of Baranquilla. The 21 foot tall statue resembles the singer swiveling her hips like she did in her 2005 music video for Hips Don't Lie.

She shared the news on the day of her mother's birthday, as she stated in her caption. The statue was scultpted by Yino Márquez and his students.

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Shakira statue unveiled in her hometown of Barranquilla (AFP via Getty Images)

The pictures showed her parents, William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, posing in front of the statue, a photo of the statue alone, a photo of her parents and brothers with Mayor Jaime Alberto and a plaque dedicated to her. In Spanish, the plaque states the day the artist was born following, "a heart that composes, hips that do not lie, a unique talent, a voice that moves masses." It then refers to charity work she created called "pies descalzos," which translates to bare feet in English.

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Shakira wrote [in Spanish]: "It makes me happy to share this with my parents and especially with my mother on her birthday" She continued: "This is too much for my little heart."

She later posted a reel of the unveiling, with Yino speaking about what the statue resembles. He said: "Shakira is river and sea, that's Baranquilla."

Statue dedicated to Shakira was unveiled in her hometown (Getty Images)

Shakira dedicated with statue in her hometown (Getty Images)

Shakira has made major headlines this year. The 46-year-old chart topping star had been accused by Spanish authorities of failing to pay 14.5 million euros (£12.68 million) in Spanish income tax between 2012 and 2014. But the singer had argued she was living a "nomadic life" during the years of 2012 and 2014 and was not based in Spain.

She has since reached a settlement with Spanish authorities in November, avoiding jail time. The Colombian star was in a relationship with Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué from 2011 until 2022 and shared two children, Milan, born in January 2013, and Sasha, born in January 2015. The couple announced their split in June last year after just over a decade together. "One way or another, I've managed to learn it from another perspective and feel that I'll be fine on my own," she said to Enrique Acevedo of Canal Estrellas at the time.

Jailene Cuevas