Senegal is set to inaugurate a massive $27m monument - higher than the Statue of Liberty - that has drawn¹ huge criticism over its cost and symbolism.

塞内加尔将举行一座价值270万美元大型雕像的揭幕典礼，这座雕像比自由女神像还要高，却因其造价和象征意义广受批判。

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Sexist, un-Islamic and costly have been some of the criticisms

The 49m (160ft) Monument of African Renaissance³ will be unveiled in Dakar as the highlight of the nation's 50th anniversary of independence.

Some scholars have called its scantily-clad（穿得很少的） figures un-Islamic while others have condemned⁴ the huge cost.

Supporters say it represents Africa's rise from "intolerance（偏狭，不宽容） and racism⁵（种族主义） ".

The bronze statue, the brainchild（脑力劳动的产物） of President Abdoulaye Wade⁶, depicts⁷（描画，描述） three figures - a man holding a woman behind him and a child aloft（在……之上） , pointing out to sea.

'Monument of shame'

About 30 heads of state are set to attend the inauguration⁸（开幕式） on Saturday, along with the US civil rights activist⁹, Jesse Jackson.

However, some Muslim scholars have called the monument idolatrous（盲目崇拜的） .

On the eve of the celebrations, the Reuters news agency quoted a leading imam（阿玛目） , Massamba Diop, as telling worshippers（礼拜者，崇拜者） at a mosque¹⁰ in the capital: "We have issued a fatwa（法学家的裁决，教法决议） urging Senegal's imams this Friday to read the holy Koran in the mosques¹¹ simply to ask Allah to preserve us from the punishment this monument of shame risks bringing on Senegal."

An opposition¹² march called for Saturday to protest against "all the failures of Wade's regime, the least of which is this horrible statue" has been banned by the authorities.

The statue, built by North Korean workers, has been mired¹³（陷入泥泞，陷入困境） in controversy¹⁴ from the outset（从一开始） .

Some were angered by Mr Wade's proposal that he would personally take 35% of the revenue（税收，收益） it generated as it was his idea.

He also had to apologise to Senegal's Christian¹⁵ minority after comparing the statue to Jesus Christ.

Its architect（建筑师） also said he had received complaints about the woman's naked legs.

However, its supporters stood by the project.

Senator Ahmed Bachir Kounta told Reuters: "Every architectural work sparks controversies¹⁶ - look at the Eiffel Tower in Paris."