Akon’s cryptocurrency and city have failed — enter Idris Elba
In 2020, Akon, the bestselling Grammy-nominated musician, made a bold and ultimately absurd claim that he was going to build a Wakanda-style city in Senegal. The mockups were glorious: slim, shiny, curved skyscrapers, new museums, and forested boulevards, all in the heart of a country where 36% of people live below the poverty line. Part of the scheme relied on ‘Akoin’ – a cryptocurrency created in 2018 and boasting the slogan “One Africa. One Koin.” The crypto, along with the city, was intended to unite Africa behind a greater vision and an accessible, digitized economy. However, these dreams of a futuristic, Frank Gehry-inspired cityscape in Senegal and a unified African currency soon became nightmares not just for Akon but for everyone. Pictures of ‘Akon City,’ courtesy of Bakri & Associate Development Consultant. Read more: El Salvador’s Bitcoin City canceled — but did it ever really exist? Unpaid loans, delistings, and lawsuits Despite Akon g...