Asiege of herons flies unperturbed above the futuristic curvature of an oddly solitary white concrete building in Mbodiène, a coastal village in Senegal. In theory it will become the “ welcome centre” of Akon City, a $6bn metropolis inspired by Wakanda, the fictional African country from the Black Panther films.
The plans were unveiled five years ago by the US-Senegalese R&B singer Akon, and the first phase of construction was due to be completed by the end of 2023, but the project has been riddled with delays and controversy.
Since childhood, Jean
