Akon's $6 Billion 'Wakanda' City Dream In Senegal Collapses. Here's What Went Wrong
According to BBC, initial designs for Akon City, with its boldly curvaceous skyscrapers, were compared by commentators to the awe-inspiring fictional city of Wakanda in Marvel's Black Panther films and comic books.
But after five years of setbacks, the 800-hectare site in Mbodiene - about 100km (60 miles) south of the capital, Dakar - remains mostly empty. The only structure is an incomplete reception building. There are no roads, no housing, no power grid.
"We were promised jobs and development," one local resident told the BBC."Instead, nothing has changed."
Meanwhile the star's Akoin cryptocurrency has struggled to repay its investors over the years, with Akon himself conceding: "It wasn't being managed properly - I take full responsibility for that."
The city is surrounded by barren land with no roads, housing or a power grid.
Plans for phase one - that were due to be completed by the end of 2023 - included a hospital, shopping mall, school, police station, a waste centre and a solar plant.
Sitting on Senegal's Atlantic Coast, Akon's high-tech, eco-friendly city was supposed to run entirely on renewable energy.
But despite Akon's insistence in a 2022 BBC interview that the project was "100,000% moving", no significant construction followed the initial launch ceremony.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Songs of outrage
On June 28, at the Glastonbury music festival in the U.K., the BBC staff were on high alert. Scared of the possibility of protest music that could discomfit the powers that be, they had already decided not to live stream the performance of the Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap, which has in the past used its shows to accuse Israel of committing genocide in Palestine. Bob Vylan, the British punk rock duo, was nowhere in their radar. This meant that all those who had tuned into the BBC stream heard the chants 'free, free Palestine' and 'death, death to the IDF' (referring to the Israel Defence Forces), initiated by lead singer Bobby Vylan (real name Pascal Robinson-Foster) and repeated by the large crowd waving Palestine flags. The band, which was just beginning to make its mark outside the punk underground, suddenly found itself at the centre of the global music spotlight as well as a political storm. Although a few pro-Israeli voices criticised them, the band found overwhelming support online, but the establishment was swift in its crackdown. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had earlier demanded that Kneecap not be given a platform at the festival, called it 'appalling hate speech'. The Avon and Somerset Police launched a criminal investigation against the band. The BBC issued a formal apology, asked some senior staff involved in the event to step back from their duties and put Bob Vylan in the 'high risk' category. The U.S. State Department revoked the visas of the band members, making the band lose close to 20 scheduled shows in the country. Music festivals in France and Manchester dropped them. But Bob Vylan appeared to expect the blowback and was aware of what they stood to lose for saying what they said. 'We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza,' the band wrote on Instagram. Bob Vylan emerged in 2017 in Ipswich, catching attention with their music which brings together the anti-establishment soul of punk rock and hip-hop. Some of their songs — which have over this week found lakhs of new listeners — and the issues that they talk about are reminiscent of rap metal legends Rage Against the Machine, known for their politically-charged performances. Strongly protective of their privacy from the 'surveillance state', the duo adopted the stage names Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan. Protest music A pro-Palestinian stand has always been a part of the band's ideology, with the lead singer participating in protests since a young age. Their lyrics such as 'The government, their not helping no one out, except for the rich people... It makes me violent' or 'Give Churchill's statue the rope and see if it floats' are designed to provoke and call attention to pertinent issues. In a way, they are sticking to the conventions of the genre, for sparking outrage is par for the course for punk bands. Banning musicians is not a first for the BBC either. It had issued a total ban on the punk band Sex Pistols in 1977 after they released the song God Save the Queen, which asked uncomfortable questions about the British monarchy. Bob Vylan also belongs to a long tradition of protest music, which witnessed its heights during the Vietnam War, when there were songs like Phil Ochs's Draft Dodger Rag, Pete Seeger's Waist Deep in the Big Muddy and Creedence Clearwater Revival's Fortunate Son and Bob Dylan's Masters of War. The current spring of protest music led by Kneecap and Bob Vylan is certainly more direct and hard-hitting, partly due to a sense of helplessness. That is probably why their voices resonated with such a large number of music buffs, who have hit out at even the much-loved band Radiohead for their unclear stand on Palestine. At one point, Bob Vylan appeared to be getting even more media attention than the ongoing deaths in Gaza. But as the band said, 'We are not the story. We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction.' Gaza remains the story.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
Kim Chang Yeol's 'Seoul's Night': A Hopeful Anthem for Stuck Souls
When Everything Feels Stuck, Kim Chang Yeol Sings About Hope Ever felt like you're just stuck in the same old routine, scrolling through reels, wondering if life's ever going to get better? That's exactly the vibe Kim Chang Yeol - yeah, the legend from DJ DOC - wanted to tackle with his new solo track 'Seoul's Night'. Released under the name 'Chang Yeol-i' (because why not reinvent yourself, right?), this song is all about finding that tiny piece of hope when reality keeps blocking your way. The track's lyrics, written by Jang Yeon Seon and composed by DJ Chuli (Shin Chul) and Song Kwang Ho, hit hard: "Even if reality blocks my way, there's always a piece of hope. Even if I fall, I'll get up again." It's that power anthem energy, the kind you need when you're prepping for exams or just trying to survive another Monday. Old Friends, New Beats - The DJ DOC Reunion We Didn't Know We Needed What's super cool is that Chang Yeol teamed up with DJ Chuli, the OG producer who helped launch DJ DOC back in the day. It's like when your college squad reunites for one epic night out - pure nostalgia, but with a fresh twist. Chang Yeol shared that after dropping 'Missing You Like Crazy' last year (which was a total hit), he wanted to bring back that old-school vibe. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like (46만원 지원할인) 모발이식 500모 49.5만원 지원할인 모발이식 더 알아보기 Undo So he called up DJ Chuli, and boom, 'Seoul's Night' was born. This isn't just a one-off, either. Chang Yeol's got a stash of 7-8 tracks ready to drop, and he's planning to release them one by one. He's not just making music for the charts - he's making songs that comfort him (and us) when life gets tough. Sounds relatable, right? Like those late-night drives when you blast your favorite playlist just to feel something. Why 'Chang Yeol-i'? And What's Next? So, why the new stage name? Apparently, DJ Chuli suggested it, inspired by the classic DJ DOC track 'Murphy's Law' where the lyrics mention "singing Chang Yeol-i". He's even using the name on TikTok and YouTube, because honestly, why not? But don't worry - he's not ditching his other alter egos. Chang Yeol says he's got a whole universe called 'Black' where he plans to keep experimenting and telling stories that everyone can relate to. And the fans? They're loving it. Social media is buzzing with comments like, "The lyrics hit me so hard, I'm going to listen on repeat!" and "This song is pure comfort." Chang Yeol's grateful, saying that even though he's had ups and downs, he's determined to keep singing with his true self, hoping his more mature side shines through. From Seoul's Night to Your Playlist - Why This Song Matters Let's be real: whether you're in Seoul, Mumbai, or chilling in your college hostel, everyone knows what it's like to feel stuck and search for hope. Chang Yeol's 'Seoul's Night' is that reminder that even when reality sucks, there's always a way forward. It's the kind of song you'll want to add to your late-night playlist, especially when you need a little push to keep going.
News18
12 hours ago
- News18
Wakanda Never: Akon's Futuristic City Dream Project, Worth $6 Billion, Ditched By Senegal
Akon who was born in the US but partly raised in Senegal, announced in 2018 to develop a tech-driven, eco-friendly utopia for the global Black community.
