Nothing escapes his strict eyes. They consist of Carrara marble, the pupils of dark basalt tuff. As a result, the stone moai colossus from Easter Island now overlooks the Chilean Garden in Berlin-Marzahn. In front of many prominent figures from the fields of diplomacy and politics, the Chilean ambassador revealed that Maria Magdalena Atria Barros, on July 13, 2024, the almost four meters high and 12 tons heavy sculpture in the “Gardens of the World.”

Scientists are still puzzling over what function the famous figures on Easter Island could have had. At least the function of this one figure in the gardens of the world is clear: to watch over the Chilean garden with great authority, protect its visitors and become a popular photo motif. And to prove that the moai are alive and have spiritual power (mana).

The colossus was unveiled in a solemn ceremony. Its 14,446 kilometers long journey from Easter Island to Berlin-Marzahn is adventurous. A quarter of a century ago, two large, unprocessed volcanic stones or tuff stones weighing tons were shipped from Easter Island to Hamburg. At that time, the Chilean consulate in Hamburg and the ProChile sales office there organized the transport. Three sculptors, who flew in from Easter Island, carved faithful replicas of the originals with Neolithic tools. One of the two objects was temporarily stored on the university premises.

The cultural representative of the Chilean embassy, Carlos Medina Palacios, came across the parts of the figure in 2006, photographed them and had the idea of bringing them to Berlin with its message. With Christoph Schmidt, managing director of Grün Berlin GmbH, the Hamburger Museum Am Rothenbaum signed a loan agreement for an initial period of ten years. Beate Reuber, Grün Berlin's park ambassador, invited numerous ambassadors to attend the unveiling ceremony. There were also guests from politics. The colossus's stern eye was benevolent Petra Pau, Vice President of the German Bundestag, on Florian Hauer, Berlin's State Secretary for International Affairs, and other representatives. And their eyes were on the — scantily clad — Polynesian dancers.

The almost 900 stone giants of Easter Island, centuries old, up to 21 meters high, located near the coast and on hills, have been protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for thirty years. They are world-famous, yet they remain one of humanity's darkest myths. It is still a mystery what they were used for and how they — some weigh 80 tons — were transported from the quarry to the coast back then without draft animals and without wheels.

Easter Island is inhabited by a few thousand Polynesians, but politically belongs to Chile, although they are 3,800 kilometers apart.

The journey from Mahani Teave, the only concert pianist on Easter Island and cultural ambassador for her home country. The artist had come to Berlin especially for the inauguration to play not only Liszt, Brahms, Chopin and Mozart, but also local melodies on the open-air stage in the Gardens of the World and to keep the colossus happy.

‍Ewald König