December 10, 2009 - A bronze statue of a young Barack Obama in shorts and a T-shirt — and what appears to be a Nobel medal around his neck — has been erected at a park in Jakarta, Indonesia, near the school where the future U.S. president studied as a child, according to news reports.
The likeness of a 10-year-old Obama — his hand extended with what appears to be a butterfly resting on it — cost $10,600 and now stands in a corner of Menteng Park, according to the Jakarta Globe and AP.
A paraphrased quote by Eleanor Roosevelt is inscribed on the statue’s base: "The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams," reports AP.
“The statue is being erected to inspire Indonesian children and help them remember that they can be whatever they set their hearts on,” Ron Mullers, chairman of the Indonesia-based Friends of Obama Foundation, explained to the Globe.
The statue is set to be officially unveiled by Jakarta's governor Thursday.
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