Kanye West has made several inflammatory comments about the history of slavery in the United States in recent years, most recently claiming that Harriet Tubman did not free the slaves, she simply made them work for other white people. Each time he makes such comments, the general public goes crazy on him for a few weeks.
Akon is in the process of building a mega-city in Africa, investing $6 billion into the creation of Akon City. He has been making major waves in Africa for years and, during a new interview with VladTV, the topic of slavery came up. He said that he believes Americans should move past slavery, explaining that it's clear that America does not care about its problematic history as far as slavery is concerned, speaking about reparations and more.
"In Senegal, we've kind of overcome the thought of slavery. We don't even think about it," said Akon. "Outside of that, people have lived and moved way beyond the slavery concept."
As far as America is concerned, he invites people to do the same.
"I think it's the art of just letting the past go and moving towards the future," he adds. "I think, in the U.S., they have this stigma of not letting go of the past and blaming the past on every mishap or 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."
He goes on to say that America is unlikely to take any steps towards reparations for Black Americans, noting that the country has shown that it's the least of their worries.
Watch his new sit-down with VladTV below.
