(AllHipHop News) Singer AKON is encouraging black Americans to “let go of the past” as a way of moving on from the brutal history of slavery.
The Senegalese star insists fellow Africans choose not to dwell on the past and the cruelty their ancestors faced as slave traders ripped families apart.
“We’ve kind of overcome the thought of slavery, we don’t even think about it,” he said during a new interview with VladTV. “The only time we think about it, honestly, is when we’re doing tours at Goree Island. Outside of that, people have lived and moved way beyond the slavery concept.”
Goree is a tiny island off the coast of Dakar, Senegal, which was pivotal to slave trading from the 15th to 19th century.
Akon believes African-Americans could benefit from a similar approach by “letting go” of slavery, because it’s such a large weight to carry.
“I think it’s the art of just letting the past go and moving towards the future,” he added. “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’ve got a weight on your back. You just gotta let it go.”
And the straight-talking “Smack” That hitmaker is urging anyone facing inequality for being black in America to travel to Africa, where they’ll be accepted.
“Do you want to stay here (in America) and continue to be treated this way or just go back home, where you’re no longer the minority,” he asked. “You actually are the majority, and you control your destiny, your future, and your land… They just need to go… America did a good job at brainwashing (them). The moment you mention Africa, they start shaking. They don’t even know why.”