ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) on Sunday unveiled on its premises in Addis Ababa a commemorative statue of former Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia in recognition of his contribution to Africa's liberation and unity leading up to the founding of the then Organization of African Unity (OAU), now AU, in 1963.
The unveiling of the Emperor's statue came at the opening of the 32nd AU summit at the headquarters of the 55-member pan-African bloc, with the attendance of AU heads of state and government, foreign diplomats and prominent personalities, among others.
The statue of Haile Selassie I was carved by sculptors of Ale Felege Selam Art School of the Addis Ababa University.
In 2012, in recognition of the same cause, AU unveiled the statue of another prominent African figure, Ghana's former President Kwame Nkrumah. Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa has been the seat of the headquarters of the pan-African bloc since its establishment in 1963.
