On 9 March 2026, marking the 212th anniversary of the birth of Taras Shevchenko, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Botswana solemnly unveiled the first monument to the outstanding Ukrainian poet, artist, and thinker on the African continent.

The monument has been installed on the campus of the University of Botswana, the country’s largest higher education institution, next to the Ukrainian Centre recently opened by the Embassy of Ukraine on the university grounds.

The ceremony was attended by the leadership and faculty of the University of Botswana, members of the diplomatic corps, journalists, and representatives of the Ukrainian community.

The author of the monument is sculptor Francois Coertze, who created the bust from Botswana bronze. During the ceremony, the sculptor symbolically presented the Ambassador of Ukraine with the gloves he had worn while working on the sculpture, as a sign of the creative process behind the monument.

A special highlight of the event was the first public reading of Shevchenko’s poem “Testament” in Botswana’s national language, Setswana. The translation was prepared by the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Botswana, Professor Thapelo Otlogetswe, who also recited the poem during the ceremony.

In his remarks, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Botswana, Oleksiy Syvak, emphasized that Shevchenko’s legacy symbolizes the aspiration for freedom, human dignity, and national identity. Today, there are 1,384 monuments dedicated to Shevchenko worldwide. Of these, 1,256 are located in Ukraine, while 128 stand in 35 countries across the globe. Botswana has now joined this list, becoming the first country in Africa to host a monument to Taras Shevchenko.

The unveiling of the monument marks an important step in strengthening cultural dialogue between Ukraine and Botswana and stands as a symbol of friendship between our peoples, as well as a shared commitment to the values of freedom and human dignity.