(AllHipHop News) Akon wants those facing racial injustice to move to the futuristic city he plans to build in his parents’ native Senegal.
On Monday, the “Locked Up” singer announced that a third of the funding for the city is in place and that construction will begin next year.
Akon believes it could be a haven for members of the African diaspora who have been poorly treated and discriminated against.
“The system back home treats them unfairly in so many different ways that you can never imagine,” Akon, who was born in the U.S., told the Associated Press. “And they only go through it because they feel that there is no other way.
“So if you’re coming from America or Europe or elsewhere in the diaspora and you feel that you want to visit Africa, we want Senegal to be your first stop.”
This week, he also traveled with government officials 62 miles outside the Senegalese capital of Dakar to inspect the site for the new city, which will feature glass buildings inspired by the shapes of traditional African sculptures.
A hotel will feature rooms decorated for each of the 54 nations of Africa, with a seaside resort, a tech hub, and recording and film studios also planned – with the city using its own AKoin cryptocurrency.
The star invited comparisons to Wakanda – the fictional futuristic African kingdom in the “Black Panther” movie – calling them an “honor.”