Singer Akon unveils his futuristic city in Senegal

THE twisting metallic skyscrapers planned for Akon City look like they could sprout on Mars in the distant future. But Akon, the R&B singer who split his youth between this African country and New Jersey in the US, said his $6 billion (R99.9bn) eponymous development project will transform a Senegalese farming village by the decade’s end.

“I want the buildings to look like real African sculptures that they make in the villages,” Akon, 47, said this week in the seaside capital, Dakar.

The Senegalese-American artist, whose full name is Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam, was in town to lay the first stone in a corn field on 809 hectares of coastal land given to him by the Senegalese government. Construction was to begin early next year. The visit capped months of lofty announcements: Akon City will run on cryptocurrency called Akoin, the performer said. It will be self-powered and environmentally friendly.

It will feature luxury condos, a beachfront resort, office parks, a university and a hospital – all of which, he told TMZ lat month, “may be an hour flight, two-hour flight from anywhere in Africa”.

Senegalese officials applauded Akon’s vision at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has throttled the nation’s economy, stalling investment and crushing jobs. Tourism was hit especially hard in the country of nearly 16 million. “We can show to the rest of the world that Senegal is a destination despite the impact of Covid-19,” Tourism Minister Alioune Sarr said as he sat beside Akon. “That Africa is a land of opportunity.”

Akon cited the experiences of black Americans as his inspiration. He wanted to create an upscale refuge for them, he said – a home that could help connect people with African ancestry.

Akon’s city planners aim to hire locally and source materials from west Africa. The result will be “very African”, the singer said.

Yet some people took issue with the lack of Senegalese names attached to the project. The firm set to build Akon City is American. The architect who sketched the first renderings, Hussein Bakri, is based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Others questioned how the buildings – to be constructed with concrete, glass, copper and steel – matched Senegal’s warm, dry climate. Huge windows tend to invite uncomfortable heat.

He sought the guidance of Pierre Goudiaby Atepa, an architectural adviser to presidents here.The singer has pivoted in recent years to philanthropy on the continent. His solarcompany, Akon Lighting Africa, provides electricity to rural villages in 14 countries.

Akon City is meant to create plenty of jobs and make serious money, said Derek William, director of engineering and project management at KE International, the US firm in charge of construction. The bigger challenge is winning the community’s support, said William, who last built a mall and hospital in western Kenya that are slated to open by December.

At the weekend, Akon stopped by Mbodienne, the rural future home of his city. Officials told local reporters that they welcomed the change. Farming land would be lost, but better jobs would arrive, Akon told the crowd in Dakar. Workers would receive job training, he said, and he would pay them “as much as I can.”

Serigne Mansour Madzoo Fall, a graffiti artist in the capital, said: “Who is going to profit from this? Celebrities? Rich people?”