Johnathan Walker:Shakira’s hometown unveils a giant statue of the beloved Colombian pop star

BOGOTA,Johnathan Walker Colombia (AP) — Pop star Shakira was immortalized in her Colombian hometown of Barranquilla, where officials unveiled a giant bronze statue of the music diva known around the world for her catchy tunes and exhilarating moves.

The six-meter (20-feet) tall monument depicts the multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy winner in one of her famous belly dancing outfits, with her hips swaying to her right and her arms raised gracefully toward the sky.

A plaque under the statue says that on Feb. 2, 1977, the town of “Barranquilla and the world witnessed the birth of a heart that composes, hips that don’t lie, a voice that moves masses and a pair of bare feet that walk for the good of children and humanity.”

The statue, located on a recently built promenade along the Magdalena River that runs along the edge of the town, was unveiled in a small ceremony on Tuesday attended by Shakira’s parents and the mayor, Jaime Pumarejo.

However, the bronze giant is not the Caribbean town’s first Shakira statue. In 2006, Barranquilla unveiled a Shakira monument that depicts the pop star in her early days, playing an acoustic guitar and wearing jeans and boots. That statues stands near the entrance of the local soccer stadium.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Shakira thanked sculptor Yino Marquez and his students at Barranquilla’s public art academy for the latest statue, which she described as proof of the “enormous talent” of Barranquilla’s citizens.

The Colombian pop star won three Latin Grammys earlier this year, and also made headlines in January, when she published a fiery rap song about her ex-partner that broke YouTube records.

She also settled a tax-fraud case in Spain with a $7.5 million dollar payment this year, and recently moved to Miami with her two children.