Philanthropy and Hip Hop have a long history. From Master P paying for the funerals of innocent victims of violence to Jay Z recently footing the bail for protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, the culture and social empowerment have come hand-in-hand.
Recently, another person in the Hip Hop game decided to use his money to help others in need. According to Eurweb, Akon is attempting to get people in Africa electricity via an initiative called Akon Lighting Africa. The academy eyes eventually providing 600 million people from numerous African countries electricity who currently don’t have it.
“We have the sun and innovative technologies to bring electricity to homes and communities. We now need to consolidate African expertise,” said Samba Baithily, co-founder of the foundation (along with Akon and Thione Niang). The Senegalese-American singer and his cohorts will open the institute in Bamako and provide engineers and business individuals the ability to harness solar power in the area.
“We expect the Africans who graduate from this center to devise new, innovative, technical solutions,” Niang said. “With this Academy, we can capitalize on Akon Lighting Africa and go further.”
70 percent of Africans are under the age of 35. Akon Lighting Africa also eyes providing thousands of jobs to those seeking employment.
This man deserves a lot of respect.
if i start a company with a lofty gold to end world hunger end homelessness in America but dont actually end it do i also deserve a lot of respect….
goal
@don’t free max b
the goals of this academy is no where near as lofty as trying to “end world hunger end homelessness”.
Its goal is to provide for the Senegalese youth the education and means necessary to achieve the goal of engineering the technology to provide electricity for the region. Its a comprehensive plan, he isnt just throwing money at the problem.
If there was a comprehensive plan to end world hunger and homelessness, even if it wasnt successful, wouldnt the person who devised it, deserve respect for trying? At least for his efforts. Or should he just stick to giving out turkeys and jordans for Thanksgivings and Xmas?
Look at the examples HHDX provided of philanthropy in hiphop. While Akon and Master P use their money for worthwhile causes, Jay-Z is bailing out unemployed parasites.
can’t even spell the headline of your articles right you fucking pathetic amateurs
how do they charge their iphones if they dont have electricity?
The correct spelling is academy. My professor encourages me to bring in articles from this website as examples of what not to do.
he doesn’t have an 8th of the money jayz, diddy, beyonce, nas, game and all your so called righteous black voices have..and he’s doing something about it
so while all those rappers tweet and make tracks about how africans don’t get the same treatment as the re st of the world, or is poor with no food, cloths, heat, electricity and water
this MAN is doing something about it personally.. rappers are clowns..race hustlers.
dude.. Akon definitely has more money than Nas, Game. He brought Lady Gaga into the scene, he made cuckoo bucks off her white ass and on top of his own sales he’s been rolling in money. He’s just not at Diddy level but he’s still real good. Kudos on him for doing something tho real talk
Fee Max B! idgaf about africans
Die slow and painful!
Max B is getting fucked in the ass as we speak
Hero
Nas built schools here in africa, Jay-z provided much needed water in rural areas here in South Africa. Be factual when you post comments. Opinions do not count in this regards. You live in a first world yet your reasoning is poor.
You are quite right Deff, Kudos for calling them out……On another note, America is the second world, Europe is the first world according to the hierarchy of the power structure.
That is great Akon, that has been my dream to make enough money where I can go to Africa and equip areas out of the city with solar power, because Africa’s got a lot of sunlight so Solar is the perfect power generator.
I have even already developed schematics for building solar stations and using ground battery technology for power storing for nights use.
Congratulations Akron, for not being just a complainer but a doer.
He’s one of us, he goes everywhere with us in his heart,, we say “Thank you”
My nigga! Salute
akon Is the man.. I own a business and I’m planning a trip to Africa this summer to set up clean water systems.. Does anybody knows how to get involved in this solar energy akon is doing?
They don’t just need to think of it as getting power there but also starting a new technology unlike the ones in Europe which Africa can easily use to their advantage using the different climate for example or water stream systems under ground starting something using the generation of the flow, don’t just start, but also create maybe usage of wireless electricity takes time but all you need to do is think new and not like the corp-orate giants from today who make themselves sound so original, the futures is in the hands of our imagination not knowledge. wanna hear something I’m only 8
You might want to learn how to spell the word “academy.”