Culture

After amassing incredible $80m net worth, music icon, Akon, now devotes time to African causes

Published

1 year ago

April 19, 2022

African-American music icon, Aliaune Thiam, known in the entertainment world as Akon, has always been one star who has refused to forget his African roots throughout his illustrious career, and had been dedicated to making life better on the continent.

And after amassing a whopping $80 million net worth, the Senegalese-born Akon has decided to devote his resources and time for African causes and not just in his home country.

Back in 2015, Akon had said in an interview that the reason for his dedication to African causes was because the charities that are currently on the continent did not always help the people they claimed to help.

“One thing I’ve realized about Africa is that only the organizations that involve Africans themselves are successful,” he had said.

“A lot of corporations that come with their own policies and try and implement them in Africa fail horribly.

“The advantage we had is that all three founders (of his charity) are Africans, so we were able to navigate through each country a lot faster.”

Over the years, Akon has used his success as a musician to lobby for positive change throughout Africa and his vision has helped provide new opportunities for Africans from all walks of life.

Since 2015, Akon, a Platinum-certified star and five-time Grammy award nominee has done so much more for Africa than most charities have for decades, providing electricity for mo 1000 households across the continent and in the process, being able to light up the land through affordable renewable energy with the power of the sun.

One of Akon’s charity, Akon Lighting Africa, are now installed in 14 African countries and, for the first time ever, a number of households, villages, communities, schools, and health centers that are located in rural areas are all now connected to electricity – all thanks to Akon’s desire to make a difference.

Akon also has various charities he runs and supports across Africa which includes the Konfidence Foundation, his own charity for underprivileged children in Africa.

Other charities and foundations he supports are the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Clothes Off Our Back, Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, NoVo Foundation, ONE Campaign and Peace One Day.

Related Topics:Africa Akon Featured Music

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Culture

Rare Mozambican Ruby rakes in world-record $34 million in New York auction

Published

20 hours ago

June 9, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

A 55.22 carat legendary Mozambican Ruby named the “Estrela de Fura” has broken the world record in sales after it was sold for a princely $34.8 million (€31 million) during Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale in New York on Thursday.

The “Estrela de Fura,” a precious coloured gemstone, broke the record previously held by the Sunrise Ruby, a 25.59 carat Burmese stone which sold for $30.3 million at Sotheby’s Geneva in May 2015.

The “Estrela de Fura” ruby was recently cut from a 101 carat rough stone discovered at a mine in Mozambique in July 2022, which is one of the largest ruby deposits in the world.

The Sotheby’s auction house, in a statement on Friday, said rubies of such magnitude were “exceedingly rare”, with only two examples previously hitting the $15 million mark.

“The biggest ruby ever to come to auction has been sold in New York for a record sum of $34.8m (£28m),” the auction house said, describing the 55.22-carat gem, as a “once-in-a-lifetime” jewel.

The head of the Sotheby’s Jewellery in New York, Quig Bruning, told journalists after the auction that when he first saw the stone, he was entranced.

“With its unprecedented size, piercing colour and rare degree of optical transparency and clarity, it truly deserved the record-breaking price today, as it now joins the ranks of the world’s most legendary gemstones,” Bruning said.

Bruning added that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the “Estrela de Fura” would be allocated to set up an academy to provide technical training in the fields of mining, engineering, carpentry and agriculture in Mozambique.

Culture

Egyptian authorities ban Dutch archaeologists from linking Beyonce, Rihanna to Ancient Queen Nefertiti

Published

2 days ago

June 8, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

Egyptian antiquities authorities have warned archeologists from the Netherlands not to hold exhibitions linking international music stars, Beyonce and Rihanna to the Ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti.

The warning which came from the National Museum of Antiquities, came after Egyptian authorities accused the Dutch archeologists of falsifying history through its showcase of works by musical artistes including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Nas and Miles Davis.

The exhibition which was held at the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities (RMO) entitled “Kemet. Egypt in Hip Hop, jazz, soul & funk,” according to the organisers, was aimed at demonstrating how Ancient Egypt and Nubia havd been “an undeniable source of inspiration for musicians of African descent for over 70 years.”

“The artists have embraced the ancient cultures and employed the associated motifs as symbols of resistance, empowerment and spiritual healing,” the exhibition organisers said in a statement.

The exhibition featured photographs and music videos showing how Beyoncé and Rihanna had both appeared as Queen Nefertiti, while a modern sculpture of Nas based on the famous gold mask of King Tutankhamun was also on display.

In addition, there were several of Sun Ra’s Egyptian-inspired costumes and songs by artistes ranging from Nina Simone and Fela Kuti to Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill.

“The exhibition also looks at what scientific research has revealed about ancient Egypt and Nubia and discusses how they have been studied from Eurocentric and Afrocentric perspectives,” the statement said.

However, the Egyptian culture authorities did not take the exhibition lightly, which they said was part of an effort to distort its history.

In the past three months, Egypt has been battling a series of what it calls the “falsification of history” and pursuit of “Afrocentric theory” following a recent depiction of one of its revered Queens, Cleopatra as a “Black Woman” in a Netflix documentary.

The Egyptian Antiquities Ministry insisted that Cleopatra had “Hellenistic (Greek) features”, including “light skin”.

In response to the warning, the RMO said it was disappointed to be “informed in a recent email from a senior Egyptian antiquities official that it was no longer allowed to excavate at the Saqqara necropolis near Cairo after almost 50 years of work there.”

“The Egyptian authorities have every right to terminate a permit for an excavation; after all, it is their land and their heritage. However, the museum considers the underlying argument for this decision incorrect.

“The Egyptian authorities conclude that our current exhibition is about ‘falsifying’ the ancient Egyptian history. This political argument is used to express the dissatisfaction with the exhibition and to ban our excavation.”