Beefing with Mugabe

To test the patience of Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and his government, Russian artist Petro Wodkins built a meter high gold statue hoping he could offer it to the man in question. It’s not because he wants to start a beef with the man he calls a dictator, but because “Robert like GOLD.” Wodkins, not his real name, is a provocative artist who does not take no for an answer. He got himself invited to an exhibition in Harare, but when the organizers saw the work he was proposing and his request to hand over his gift in person, they disinvited him. when his request to hand over his gift in person was denied he still decided to travel down to Harare, equipped with hidden cameras to shoot a video to a song that mocks Mugabe and of course the golden statue.

He showed it around Harare and ordinary Zimbabweans loved it. The authorities did not react too well to the video shoot. According to the Zimbabwean website Nehandatv.com, the government pulled down the statue and chased down the artist who, according to the project’s website, escaped. As for the video, of course you can watch it online.