This is Senegal — home to 15 million people,
one of the region’s relatively more stable democracies, and the Westernmost country in
Africa. This is Dakar — its capital, and Senegal’s
Westernmost city. And within Dakar, this is the African Renaissance
Monument, situated on the very Western edge of the Cape Verde Peninsula. On the third of April, 2010, this was the
place to be in Africa. It was the day before the 50th anniversary
of the country’s independence and 19 presidents plus US congressman Jesse Jackson had flown
in to witness the unveiling of this humongous bronze statue. At 49-meters, or 160-feet high, it was and
still is the tallest statue on the continent, taller even, than the Statue of Liberty or
Christ the Redeemer. The Socialist Realist-style man, woman, and
child were intended to represent, quote, “Africa emerging from darkness, from five centuries
of slavery and two centuries of colonialism”. The hill on which it stands, however, is awkwardly
surrounded by squatter camps and garbage dumps, which may help explain why today, over a decade
later, it never quite achieved its stated goal of rivaling the Eiffel Tower as a tourist
destination. There are many strange things about this statue. For one, there’s its liberal use of nudity
to represent a 96% Muslim country, There’s it's officially $25 but rumored
$70 million dollar price tag, in a country where half the population lives below the
poverty line. Indeed, thousands of locals protested the
project, calling it an embarrassing testament to the government’s corruption, self-obsession,
and backward priorities. Then there was the president’s controversial
decision to personally claim 35% of the profits to this public monument. But far stranger than all of this, is the
fact that, despite a 50% local unemployment rate, this entire piece was outsourced to
a foreign firm. And not just any foreign firm. This massive tribute to African ingenuity
and pride was built by… North Korea. The African Renaissance Monument isn’t unique
in this respect. All over Africa, and even in Europe and elsewhere
are statues, museums, buildings, and monuments built entirely by and in North Korea. This is, in fact, its single largest export. Sponsored by CuriosityStream and Nebula — where
you can watch the extended version of this video. When the so-called Democratic People's Republic
of Korea was founded in 1948, its existence was recognized only by a handful of Communist
countries like the Soviet Union, China, and Romania. Decades before it began unification talks
with the South, North Korea was looking for international legitimacy — a need for which
it was very much willing to overlook just about anything. Kim Il-Sung was also committed to the ideological
spread of Socialism, actively trying to promote the “Juche” philosophy of self-reliance
long before it would be laughed at as a model for the rest of the world. It was for this reason that this nascent nation
began making allies in Africa. It did so by donating money, weapons, and
soldiers, all of which went a long way at a time of desperate need. The DPRK military, for instance, trained Somali
forces in their fight against Ethiopia, who had previously supported the South during
the Korean War. A few years later, when Ethiopia’s government
was overthrown by Marxists, North Korea began supporting Ethiopia’s fight against Somalia,
both of which established with it diplomatic relations. In the 70s, North Korea sent thousands of
troops to Angola during its civil war. At the same time, at home, the Kim Il-Sung
regime was busy sowing the seeds of what would become a propaganda machine rivaling any of
history’s most intense cults of personality. This began, rather inconspicuously, with the
founding in 1959 of the Mansudae Art Studio. Backed by the Supreme Leader himself, its
task was simple, though not easy: forge the public image of a leader who was then dangerously
at risk of being seen as merely human. In practical terms, this meant painting murals,
architecting buildings, and sculpting monuments. Thanks to its artistic monopoly, virtually
all of Pyongyang’s landmarks are its work. This includes the flame-topped Juche Tower,
which stands exactly one meter taller than the Washington Monument, all of its propaganda
posters, and the giant murals inside the Pyongyang Underground. In the 70s and 80s, Mansudae was also assigned
the job of constructing diplomatic gifts to current or potential allies. Ethiopia, for example, was given its Victory
Monument. Likewise, the presidential palace of Madagascar
was built by North Korea, completely free of charge. It was a cheap, easy way to win friends and
influence autocrats. Then, as with all things North Korean, a tectonic
shift occurred in the 90s. While the country was never completely the
obedient puppet state Moscow wanted it to be, it did very much rely on the Soviet Union
for material support. With its collapse, North Korea instantly lost
its biggest ally and financial backer. It needed cash. It needed a lot. And it needed it yesterday. The problem was, frankly, it didn’t have
all that much to offer. By 1990, South Korea’s GNP had grown to
$237 billion dollars to the North’s puny 23. Faced with this existential predicament, it
turned to several unconventional gigs. In the intervening 3+ decades, the Mansudae
Art Studio had both honed its craft and grown to become one of, if not the largest art studios
in the world. Occupying about 30 acres in Pyongyang, its
campus contains 13 creative groups, seven factories, and 50 supply departments. There’s a paper mill, soccer stadium, kindergarten,
sauna, clinic, and gift shop. It has a reputation as the most prestigious
career path for promising North Korean students. Each of its 4,000 artists is expected to churn
out a steady stream of propaganda — 2 paintings a month, for example. According to a South Korean study, Kim family
artifacts, including all films, books, murals, statues, and so on, add up to 40% of the state’s
visible budget. So, while the Mansudae Overseas Projects division
was originally commissioned for the sole purpose of making allies, after the fall of the Soviet
Union, it took on a far more sinister purpose: generating foreign currency for the personal
bank accounts of the Kim family. The African Renaissance Monument, although
the tallest, is only one of dozens of projects. Altogether, they’ve earned an estimated
$160 million for the regime in the last ten years. One of its more loyal customers is the nation
of Namibia. It commissioned a 5,000-seat war memorial,
presidential palace, independence museum, military museum, Ministry of Defense headquarters,
munitions factory, and presidential statue. Property records indicate North Korea bought
a warehouse for around $120,000 US Dollars in 2004, and some locals say they still see
North Koreans come and go to this day. Its northern neighbor, Angola, is also a frequent
patron. In addition to a park and peace monument,
there’s the curiously-shaped mausoleum of its first president which locals gave the
nickname “Sputnik”. In the Congo, a statue of its third president
rose eyebrows for its suspicious likeness to the body of Kim Jong-Il. Some speculate it was a lazy “repurposing”,
though the artists can be forgiven given the lack of diversity involved in their day-to-day
work. In Zimbabwe, several of its statues generated
extra controversy thanks to its especially egregious past. In the 80s, North Korean-trained troops massacred
thousands of citizens after the Rhodesian Bush War. There are even a few examples outside Africa. Visitors to Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, for example,
may also stop by the nearby Panorama Museum, which was designed, built, and is now operated
by North Korea. Inside is a 120-meter long, 13-meter high,
360-degree mural featuring 45,000 people. It was painted by 63 artists over four months,
after spending over a year drawing the outline. In exchange, North Korea is entitled to 100%
of the proceeds for the first 10 years, followed by a 10 year 50-50 split with the Cambodian
government. Upon hearing all this, one might reasonably
ask: What’s in it for them? Mansudae is sanctioned by the United Nations. Doing business with it is also likely to anger
locals — why not purchase from a more reputable professional? One answer is best explained, strangely, by
a nondescript fountain in Frankfurt. This relatively small $264,000 Mansudae-built
sculpture is the only one built for a Western Democracy. When asked why North Korea was awarded the
contract, the commissioning museum director said it was simply a question of style. If you're looking to buy Socialist-Realist
art, no one in the world is better qualified to make it. North Korean artists have decades of experience
and all of it frozen in time. The second reason is just that it’s very,
very cheap. As captive citizens, its laborers are forced
to accept criminally low wages. In other words: There’s plenty of demand
around the world for propaganda and the Kim regime has both plenty of supply and experience. As the cost of sanctions violations increase,
some countries will find the risks too high. Others, however, will surely only do so more
covertly — dragging the most secretive country in the world even further into the shadows. Such is the dilemma of sanctions: Impose too
many and offenders will only retreat further from the international order. How do you, as a country, punish without permanently
excluding? You can watch the full version of this video,
which replaces this ad with my thoughts on North Korea’s sanctions — on Nebula, the
streaming site I helped create, to give you the very best experience — there are no
ads, videos are available early, and you can watch entirely exclusive original content. We’ve partnered with CuriosityStream — home
to great documentaries on technology, history, and science — like this one about America’s
role as the world’s police — so that you can get it and Nebula for less than $15 a
year. Sign up with the link in the description and
watch the extended version of this video over on Nebula.
