A siege 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 (£4.7bn) metropolis inspired by Wakanda, the fictional African country from the Black Panther films.
The plans were first unveiled five years ago by the US-Senegalese R&B singer Akon, and the first phase of construction was supposed to be completed by the end of 2023, but the project has been riddled with delays and controversy.
