Qualla: Statue of Shakira https://qualla.com/statue-of-shakira en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:12 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/d/3/f/y/statue-of-shakira-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Statue of Shakira https://qualla.com/statue-of-shakira Statue of Shakira: Introduction https://qualla.com/statue-of-shakira/ Photo credit Jdvillalobos, CC BY-SA 4.0. The plaque reads like a love letter from a city to its daughter: "A heart that composes, hips that don't lie, unmatched talent, a voice that moves the masses, and bare feet that march for the good of children and humanity." On December 26, 2023, Barranquilla unveiled a 6.5-meter bronze statue of Shakira on the Gran Malecon, the sweeping riverside promenade that traces the Magdalena River's final stretch toward the Caribbean. The singer was not there in person. Her parents were, and so was half the city.

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]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/3/f/y/statue-of-shakira-wp/d3fy-statue-of-shakira-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Statue of Shakira: From Sidewalk Stages to Global Arenas https://qualla.com/statue-of-shakira/ Photo credit Jdvillalobos, CC BY-SA 4.0. Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born in Barranquilla on February 2, 1977, to parents of Lebanese and Colombian descent. Between the ages of ten and thirteen, she performed at events around the city, dancing and singing with enough raw magnetism that a local theater producer arr...

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]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/3/f/y/statue-of-shakira-wp/d3fy-statue-of-shakira-from-sidewalk-stages-to-global-arenas.mp3 0:06 2 full Statue of Shakira: Bronze and Ambition https://qualla.com/statue-of-shakira/ Photo credit Jdvillalobos, CC BY-SA 4.0. Mayor Jaime Pumarejo proposed the statue as part of a broader effort to celebrate Barranquilla's figures along the waterfront, boosting tourism while offering role models to a city that has long punched above its cultural weight. Sculptor Yino Marquez, a 52-year-old artist who ha...

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]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/3/f/y/statue-of-shakira-wp/d3fy-statue-of-shakira-bronze-and-ambition.mp3 0:06 3 full Statue of Shakira: A City That Remembers Its Own https://qualla.com/statue-of-shakira/ Photo credit Jdvillalobos, CC BY-SA 4.0. This is not Barranquilla's first monument to Shakira. Since 2006, a steel sculpture of the singer holding a guitar has stood in the park outside the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez, Colombia's largest stadium. Where the earlier work captures the young songwriter with her i...

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]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/3/f/y/statue-of-shakira-wp/d3fy-statue-of-shakira-a-city-that-remembers-its-own.mp3 0:06 4 full Statue of Shakira: Too Much for Her Little Heart https://qualla.com/statue-of-shakira/ Photo credit Jdvillalobos, CC BY-SA 4.0. When Shakira saw images of the unveiling ceremony, she posted on social media: "This is too much for my little heart." She expressed gratitude to sculptor Marquez and to the students from a local arts school who participated in the event, noting the happiness of having her parent...

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]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/3/f/y/statue-of-shakira-wp/d3fy-statue-of-shakira-too-much-for-her-little-heart.mp3 0:06 5 full