Akon is raising some eyebrows here in America.
During an interview with Vlad TV, Akon said black people in the United States should “let go of the past” when asked about his thoughts on slavery. Akon suggests Americans shouldn’t dwell on the past. Akon said,
“In Senegal, we’ve kind of overcome the thought of slavery, we don’t even think about it. The only time we think about it, honestly, is when we’re doing tours at Gorèe Island. Outside of that, people have lived and moved way beyond the slavery concept idea and mind state.” Then Akon went on to say that letting the idea go is “an art.”
“I think it’s the art of just letting the past go and moving towards the future. And I think, in the U.S., they have this stigma of just not letting go of the past and blaming the past on every mishap or, you know, disappointment. I think as long as you hold onto that past, there’s a lot of weight that you carry with you everywhere you go. It’s hard to move forward and move fast when you got a weight on your back. You just gotta let it go.”
For most of Akon’s life, he grew up in Senegal and suggested that American’s move to Africa because the U.S doesn’t “care about black people.” Akon doesn’t believe black Americans will ever see reparations because if the government wanted to do it, they would have done so already.
“[The United States] aren’t sorry. They don’t care. So do you want to stay here and continue to be treated this way or just go back home, where you’re not no longer the minority? You actually are the majority, and you control your destiny, and your future, and your land. … America did a good job at brainwashing. The moment you mention Africa, they start shaking. They don’t even know why.”
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