AMERICAN R&B star Akon revealed he dreamed of visiting Zimbabwe “for a long, long time” as he arrived in Harare on Thursday for a weekend gig alongside Jamaican reggae star Sean Paul.
Moved by an “incredible” and “overwhelming” welcome by adoring fans, the Lonely star who was born in Senegal declared Zimbabwe his second home.
He told a press conference: “I was overwhelmingly received by the crowds as we drove around.
“We are very excited. This is an incredible moment for us. We have been trying to get to Zimbabwe for a long, long time. We always end up bumping heads with unreal promoters.
“Sometimes you hear that Akon is coming but we never knew that we are coming! It is really funny because Africans, we are like that, we are the ultimate hustlers.
“This time it was real! A call came from Zimbabwe and it was a real call with some real people doing some real business.
“It definitely made sense for us to wanna come because this is what we always wanted to be doing. And we always said to ourselves when we do it, we wanna do it properly and Zimbabwe gets to feel the experience of the Akon concert.
“Thank you for the welcome and it has been incredible.”
Akon appeared at the press conference flanked by Zimbabwe Tourism Authority CEO Karikoga Kaseke and Prince Tendai Mupfurutsa from the promotions company ZIMSWAG Entertainment, who are bankrolling Saturday’s show at the National Sports Stadium. Also present was business tycoon Phillip Chiyangwa, whose luxury Rolls Royce Phantom was used by Akon from the airport.
Scrum ... Akon is mobbed as he arrives at the Mekles Hotel in Harare
Order ... Phillip Chiyangwa calms crowds while standing behind Akon and Mupfurutsa
Welcome ... Akon holds hands with a mystery woman as his party sweeps into the Meikles
Sean Paul was expected to arrive on Friday. The two superstars will be supported by a slew of Zimbabwean artists including the UK-based Cynthia Mare, Alick Macheso, Sulumani Chimbetu, Winky D, Roki and Stunner.
Akon arrived just after lunchtime at the Harare International Airport to be met by tens of cheering fans. He was then driven in the Rolls – spotting a personalised plate with his name on it – to the Harare City Centre trailed by a convoy of about 50 other cars.
The noisy procession brought out afternoon shoppers as the City’s streets were jammed.
Akon and Sean Paul will both stay at the Meikles Hotel until Sunday when they are expected to be flown to the Victoria Falls.
Akon said: “I think there have been a lot of misconceptions about a lot of places in Africa. But when you land in these places, you never really see what they are talking about.
“You never get to see the misconceptions that are as far as the place being undeveloped … As far as I can see, Zimbabwe is a beautiful place and I haven’t seen anything that contradicted the positive things that I have heard before.”
Mupfurutsa, a popular local singer and music producer, said: “To us, it’s a dream come true to have such an accomplished musician who is right at the top of his game to visit the country.
“Believe it or not, he is not here for the cash but for the bash; not for the money but for the honey. I am so excited that he accepted our invitation and he came here together with his friends.”