Statue of Uncle Ho carved from the heart of an African artist and the Cairo-Hanoi journey

After a long journey, the bust of Uncle Ho carved by a famous Congolese sculptor was brought to the Ho Chi Minh Museum next to his Mausoleum on January 2, 1996. (Photo provided by Ambassador Tran Tam Giap)

When the news of Uncle Ho's death in 1969 came out, the African people were deeply moved and saddened. The famous Congolese sculptor Konongo Benoit, who lived at 9 Trois Martyrs Street, Brazzaville City, the capital of Congo, expressed his feelings for President Ho Chi Minh by choosing precious wood and working day and night to carve a statue of Uncle Ho.

In early 1970, when a Vietnamese trade delegation visited Congo, artist Konongo Benoit asked the delegation to transfer to Hanoi a bust of President Ho Chi Minh to express the respect and sorrow of the African people for a world great man whom they loved and admired greatly.

Since 1945, especially after the Dien Bien Phu victory in 1954, the people and leaders of Africa have considered Uncle Ho as an idol of the national liberation movement, as a role model and a torch to light the way for them in the struggle for independence and national construction. They have known Uncle Ho since the days when he was active in Paris with the famous Nguyen Ai Quoc and the newspaper Le Paria , which he edited, until he became President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Whenever there is an opportunity, especially when meeting Vietnamese people, African friends often greet them very enthusiastically and wave their hands and shout: Ho, Ho Chi Minh, Giap, Giap, Giap (General Vo Nguyen Giap) with special joy. There are many sincere compliments, profound opinions about Uncle Ho and touching stories expressing the deep affection of African friends for Uncle Ho - before and for many years after his death, newspapers at home and abroad have mentioned many historical figures and leaders of Africa such as Presidents Sekou Toure (Guinea), Leopol Senghor (Senegal), Modibo Keita (Mali), Ben Bella, Boumédienne, Ben Jédit, Boutéflicka (Algeria), Abdul Gamal Nasser (Egypt), Massambat Débat (Congo), Patric Lumumba (Zaire), Samora Machel, Joachim Chissano (Mozambique), Dos Santos (Angola), Kennet Kaunda (Zambia), Nyerrere (Tanzania), Robert Mugabé (Zimbabwe), Nelson Madela (South Africa), Sam Njuzoma (Namibia) ...

African scholars and people always mention Uncle Ho with deep admiration for his virtue, profound political knowledge, and humanistic cultural knowledge. Through that, we are even more proud of Uncle Ho's role and prestige throughout the four seas and five continents. Rarely has a leader in the world been admired and had special affection from people of all countries like our beloved Uncle Ho.

The above statue of Uncle Ho was transferred from Brazaville, the capital of Congo, to Cairo, Egypt. Due to the war, the Trade delegation could not bring it back to the country and had to send it back to the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt. Due to the objective circumstances and the affection of Vietnamese staff in the land of the Pyramids for Uncle Ho, and because it was a special statue carved from a rare type of wood, no one suggested sending the statue to Hanoi.

Ambassador Tran Tam Giap, Deputy Inspector General of the State Duong Ngoc Son, Director of the Ho Chi Minh Museum Cu Van Chuoc and delegates at the handover ceremony of the bust of Uncle Ho, January 2, 1996. (Photo: Provided by Ambassador Tran Tam Giap)

Twenty-five years later, in 1995, the then Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt, Mr. Tran Tam Giap, was very concerned about the rare statue bearing the African people's deep affection for Uncle Ho, especially since Hanoi already had the Ho Chi Minh Museum. He had to find a way to bring the statue back to its proper place in the Museum, contributing the artistic voice and affection of the African people for Uncle Ho through this precious artifact.

But the implementation of this idea was not simple and there were certain obstacles. Fortunately, at that time (December 1995), our State Inspectorate visited Egypt, led by Mr. Duong Ngoc Son, Deputy Inspector General. Ambassador Tran Tam Giap expressed his wishes to the Head of the State Inspectorate and the Delegation wholeheartedly supported and actively arranged to bring the statue of Uncle Ho back to the country, including it in the Delegation's baggage allowance, in accordance with the spirit of "thrift" and not using state funds to pay for transportation.

Before leaving ancient Egypt, the brothers and sisters of the Vietnamese Embassy in Cairo, with nostalgia, brought Nile water to bathe the statue, wrapped it very carefully and thoughtfully, especially preserving the statue's beard.

On the winter afternoon of December 29, 1995, the statue of Uncle Ho, imbued with African sentiment, left the land of the Pyramids, escorted by a delegation of State Inspectors led by Mr. Duong Ngoc Son with full diplomatic privileges, taking the statue of Uncle Ho on a flight from Cairo - Dubai - Hanoi.

At Noi Bai airport, our Ambassador to Egypt Tran Tam Giap was also present to welcome the statue of Uncle Ho. On January 2, 1996, the handover ceremony of Uncle Ho's statue was solemnly held at the Ho Chi Minh Museum with the presence of Director Cu Van Chuoc, Deputy Director Nguyen Dinh Hoan, Deputy Inspector General of the State Duong Ngoc Son, Ambassador Tran Tam Giap and many officers and staff of the Ho Chi Minh Museum.

Twenty-five years have passed, Mr. Duong Ngoc Son is now the Permanent Deputy Director of the Thang Long Hanoi Club and Mr. Tran Tam Giap is now the former Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Retirement Club, the two met again and told each other the story of carrying the statue of Uncle Ho as if it had happened recently and both were satisfied that in their previous and current work, they had partly carried out the work of following the ideology and studying the morality of Ho Chi Minh, worthy of his teachings.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/buc-tuong-bac-ho-tac-bang-trai-tim-cua-nghe-sy-chau-phi-va-hanh-trinh-cairo-ha-noi-323549.html