Online Reporter
Mathew Masinge
BUSINESSMAN Wicknell Chivayo is probably not a Liverpool fan but, when it comes to ‘Statues From Hell’, the philanthropist is not WALKING ALONE.
Chivayo is, indeed, a football fan and has showed his love for the game with cash injections into the ZIFA, his beloved Scottland and Highlanders.
It was his money which enabled ZIFA to acquire two vehicles, which were then used by Kalisto Pasuwa and Shadreck Mlauzi, during their time as coaches of the Warriors and Mighty Warriors.
He has also been injecting money into Scottland, who received another US$300,000 injection at the weekend, and lured Peter Ndlovu into their fold as their new manager.
Chivayo’s money could also determine who will coach Highlanders this season amid dramatic developments yesterday, which placed Benjani into prime position.
Maybe, that’s one of the reasons three artists came up with the idea to create a statue for him.
However, the statue was so bad that Chivayo joked that he was more handsome and rejected it.
The businessman said the statue gave an impression that he was a “Gorilla” and he did not want to have anything to do with it.
The giant statue is a product of three Chitungwiza artists − Callangan Makuni, Duncan Masanga and Americk Kambiri − who said this was their way of honouring the businessman.
The philanthropist also hails from Chitungwiza.
The sculptors said:
“Chivayo is a shining example of a true patriot and community champion.
“His selfless efforts have inspired countless talented young Zimbabweans in various areas including soccer, music telecommunications, and we are honoured to recognise his achievements.”
However, Chivayo rejected the statue.
“Ákatadza zvinonyadzisa, kubva aviga handsome yangu yese kundiita kunge Gorilla.
“Plus, zvemastatue handisati ndasvika level yacho, ngaachengete hake kumba kwake.”
In his response, Masanga said:
“Good day Sir Wicknell, we do acknowledge your insight pertaining the giant statue we had sculptured for you.
“Yes, of course, it doesn’t look 100 percent you since this is handmade but, at least, we tried our best to want to gesture you (sic) for all the philanthropic work you are doing in Zimbabwe at large.
“That was a sign of appreciating you on behalf of our fellow Zimbabweans.
“Yes, true, we are convinced (sic) to put a lot of effort on our next projects.
“We tried to imitate the creator (God) kuti tiveze chizvarwa chake of which we will never match with the Creator.
“We will not lose hope, muswere munyasha.”
Social media did most of the damage, with various users blasting the sculpture as poorly done and an insult to the businessman.
Others even went further and painted the statue in white, claiming that this was one way of making it look better.
Interestingly, Chivayo is not the only prominent person to get a statue which has generated controversy.
From football legends to pop icons, the world is littered with a number of statues which left fans laughing instead of applauding.
The undisputed King of bad statues should be the one which was created for football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017.
The statue, which was unveiled at Madeira International Airport, which was later renamed after him, was instantly trolled for looking nothing like CR7.
The internet had a field day, forcing authorities to quietly replace it with a full-body statue in Funchal.
The late Michael Jackson also wasn’t spared.
After filming ‘They Don’t Care About Us’ in a Brazilian favela, locals honoured him with a statue, but once photos hit the internet, mockery followed just as fast.
In the United States, things went from bad to worse for Melania Trump.
A wooden carving of the First Lady, commissioned in her hometown of Slovenia, was slammed for looking nothing like her.
The sculpture, nicknamed Maxi, was later burnt down, ending its embarrassing run.
Liverpool and Egypt star Mohamed Salah also fell victim.
His statue, unveiled at a World Youth Forum in Sharm El Sheikh, was dragged by fans who said it looked ancient and lifeless.
Then there’s rapper Tupac Shakur.
A statue unveiled in 2005 at an arts centre founded by his late mother showed an older Tupac in a suit clutching a Bible, a far cry from the rebel rapper fans knew.
Critics said it never resembled what the rapper stood for, the statue was eventually removed in 2015.
Even pop queen Shakira couldn’t escape after her gold-and-red 2023 statue was unveiled in her hometown of Barranquilla.
While Shakira herself was touched, fans online were less forgiving.
Mathew Masinge