A year ago we showed you the larger than life bronze bust of Belizean Patriot Phillip Goldson that Stephen Okeke was sculpting. One year later the bad news is that a job that was supposed to take about six months is still not completed, in fact the project is only a third of the way done. The good news however is that despite financial setbacks and other obstacles, Okeke continues to work on the bust.
He claims to have already invested $18,000 out of his own pocket to complete the 600-pound monument. But the total cost is estimated to be around $50,000 and so, one year later, Okeke says he is once again appealing for Belizeans to do right by Goldson and contribute to the project.
We caught up with him today at his studio, working on the bust, and he told us why this is a labor of love.
Stephen Okeke, Sculptor
"People have kind of acted polarized; people want to help, they don't know how to help, they don't know where to start to help, and then there are others who just want to shut down the project completely---I can't tell exactly why they want to do that."
Keith Swift,
Last time you told me that because the project was so costly, you would have had to destroy the bust if you couldn't secure the rest of the money. But you even with all the problems you still haven't given up. Why not?
Stephen Okeke,
"I chose not to do that. I thought that it would have been unfair to the memory of Mr. Goldson, eventhough he is not around here, and I thought also it would have been an insult to the intelligence of Belizeans, and to the emotions. Sometimes you look beyond money. I have really invested so much in it, time and money, but you look beyond money."
Keith Swift,
How far are you along?
Stephen Okeke,
"This is not the final, this is just about step three of ten steps. This is step three of ten steps because you are talking about fine details. Remember we are not just trying to represent the man as he looks; we are trying to represent his personality and his character. And also you are trying not just to represent the man for aesthetics and for people to say it looks good and it looks beautiful, you're trying to use this to affect people's lives. You are trying to use this to challenge because whichever way we remember him in history, whether as a challenger, as a leader of thought, as a philosopher, as a journalist, or as a politician, there is something you can't change: he was a person who made things happen."
Again Okeke says about $30,000 more is needed to complete the project. Two bank accounts have been opened for contributions. The first is at Atlantic Bank and the number is 210736881. The second is at Scotia Bank and that number is 9133783. Stephen Okeke is only one of the signatories on the accounts and to ensure accountability, two signatures are needed to withdraw any money. You can email Okeke at sokeke1@yahoo.com.
For some context, Okeke says the now famous bronze bust of George Price, which he sculpted, cost $40,000 and took six months to complete. The Phillip Goldson bust is about twice that size.
