Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and British High Commissioner Robert Gibson unveil Diamond Jubilee sculpture
"The sculpture is a tribute to Her Majesty the Queen’s role as the mother figure of the Commonwealth"
Today the Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and government ministers joined British High Commissioner Robert W Gibson at his residence in Dhaka to unveil a sculpture celebrating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee and 60 years as Head of the Commonwealth.
On this unique occasion the British High Commissioner remarked,
The sculpture is a tribute to Her Majesty the Queen’s role as the mother figure of the Commonwealth. As Bangladesh prepares to mark 42 years of independence, we are proud that the UK was the first European country to recognise Bangladesh. The success of our relationship is founded on a long-standing and deep bond which stretches across – and beyond – these four decades. We are proud of our people-to-people links that lie at the very heart of this relationship: Britain is now home to nearly half a million British nationals of Bangladeshi origin or heritage and we are proud of the contribution that they make to Britain and its way of life. And we are proud that the contribution that Her Majesty has made to the Commonwealth is so strong and so valued that the Honourable Prime Minister should have agreed to grace this special ceremony.
Mr Khan uses simplified images to convey his ideas and formed the sculpture from stainless steel. Revealing his inspiration, Mr Khan said,
I titled the sculpture ‘Mother’ as the subject of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee brought into my mind how my mother used to sit in front of me.
This chimes with this year’s Commonwealth Day message from The Queen, where she noted,
We are all born with the desire to learn, to explore, to try new things. And each of us can think of occasions when we have been inspired to do something more efficiently, or to assist others in achieving their full potential. Yet it still takes courage to launch into the unknown. Ambition and curiosity open new avenues of opportunity. That is what lies at the heart of our Commonwealth approach: individuals and communities finding ways to strive together to create a better future that is beneficial for all. Our shared values of peace, democracy, development, justice and human rights – which are found in our new ‘Commonwealth Charter’ – mean that we place special emphasis on including everyone in this goal, especially those who are vulnerable.
The sculpture was sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank, one of the longest standing and largest British company in Bangladesh.