Skip to main contentSkip to footer
COLOMBIA-MUSIC-SHAKIRA© GettyImages

Shakira’s newest statue is set to become a cultural reference in Barranquilla

The figure will be placed in a strategic location chosen by the people through a vote


Shirley Gomez
Senior Writer
JUNE 28, 2023 10:09 AM EDT

Barranquilla is about to get a new cultural reference to make all its citizens proud! The legendary Shakira will soon have a statue in her honor, placed in a strategic location chosen by the people through a vote.

This is a well-deserved tribute to the singer’s philanthropic work through her Pies Descalzos foundation, which has helped many people.

Shakira Attends Pies Descalzos Press Conference© GettyImages
Shakira attends a press conference for Pies Descalzos and FC Barcelona to announce a grant to YMCA of Greater Miami at the University of Miami Fieldhouse on August 1, 2011 in Coral Gables, Florida.

The sculpture will be an impressive 20 feet tall and made of bronze, created by the talented plastic artist Yino Márquez. “We are going to pay tribute to Shakira. In a couple of months, we will be unveiling a statue of her so that the people of Barranquilla feel proud of this cultural reference, but also so that visitors come to make a ‘pilgrimage,’ take a picture, stay in a hotel, and invest in our beautiful city,” he said.

The artist said, “The process is currently in the preparation phase.”

And that’s not all! Shakira will attend the event where the Nuevo Bosque mega-school will be delivered, a project supported by her foundation, the Ministry of Housing, the Mayor’s Office, and the Santo Domingo Foundation.

COLOMBIA MUSIC SHAKIRA© GettyImages
Colombian singer Shakira places her foot on a cement cornerstone on November 2, 2018, in Barranquilla, Colombia, during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction a school supported by her foundation “Pies Descalzos” and the Barca Foundation.

“The question we ask the people of Barranquilla is where they want to see this statue, where they would like us to put it, and thus participate and send much affection to this artist who has raised the name of our city and has taken it around the world,” the Mayor said.

This is an exciting moment for Barranquilla, as it will attract visitors who want to take a picture with the statue, stay in a hotel, and invest in the city. It’s worth mentioning that the city already has a figure of Shakira, but this new one will be even more impressive!