Crossing the Blues

Akon Sets Up School in Senegal

R&B superstar Akon has poured the profits from his live shows into funding a new school in Senegal. The singer, who was born in the U.S. and raised in Senegal, has used his own money to open an educational facility in the country though his Konfidence Foundation charity, which he set up to create a better future for African children.

And he hopes to eventually launch more teaching centers across Senegal, including a university. He tells Allhiphop.com, "It all strung from concept of creating a better future for the kids in Africa. I started realizing as I was growing up and as I was coming up in this business, I allowed myself to be educated, period. And I think that was the moment where I became more of an entrepreneur; I understood what the essence of business was."

"You start to realize education really is the key. You (have) just got to allow yourself to absorb the information and properly use it. With that thought in mind, when we created the Konfidence Foundation, it was more so to find a platform to educate all these children so that they can have a better future with what's left to develop in Africa. We built my first elementary school in Senegal, which is an incredible accomplishment because I did it with my own money, my tour money and did it myself."