The Reading / Listening - Akon City - Level 4

The singer Akon will build a city from scratch. He has raised money for a futuristic city of 300,000 people on Africa's west coast. He will call it Akon City. He said it was a "real-life Wakanda" - the city from the movie "Black Panther". Akon was born in the USA to Senegalese parents. He said construction on the $6 billion project will start next year and take three years to finish. He hopes it will provide much-needed jobs for Senegalese people.

Designs on akoncity.com show dreamlike, shining glass and steel skyscrapers. They were inspired by traditional African sculptures. Akon wants his high-tech city to be a port of call for Senegalese and other Africans facing racial injustice around the world. He said people are treated unfairly, "in ways that you can never imagine". He added: "If you're coming from...the diaspora and...you want to visit Africa, we want Senegal to be your first stop."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Akon City - Level 5 or  Akon City - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rb-singer-akon-moves-ahead-with-6-billion-akon-city-in-senegal
  • https://face2faceafrica.com/article/akons-6-billion-futuristic-pan-african-city-in-senegal-to-begin-next-year
  • https://akoncity.com/about/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Akon will build a city from
  2. He has raised
  3. a futuristic city of
  4. on Africa's west
  5. born in the USA
  6. the $6 billion project will
  7. take three years
  8. much-needed jobs
  1. start next year
  2. 300,000 people
  3. for Senegalese people
  4. money
  5. to finish
  6. to Senegalese parents
  7. scratch
  8. coast

Paragraph 2

  1. shining glass and
  2. inspired by traditional
  3. be a port
  4. Africans facing racial
  5. He said people are treated
  6. in ways that you can
  7. If you're coming from
  8. we want Senegal to be
  1. your first stop
  2. injustice
  3. African sculptures
  4. the diaspora
  5. of call
  6. unfairly
  7. never imagine
  8. steel skyscrapers

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The singer Akon will build a (1) ___________________. He has raised money (2) ___________________ city of 300,000 people on Africa's west coast. He will call it Akon City. He said (3) ___________________ "real-life Wakanda" - the city from the movie "Black Panther". Akon was born in the USA to Senegalese parents. He (4) ___________________ the $6 billion project will start next year and take three (5) ___________________. He hopes it will (6) ___________________ jobs for Senegalese people.

Designs on akoncity.com (7) ___________________ glass and steel skyscrapers. They were (8) ___________________ African sculptures. Akon wants his high-tech city to be a (9) ___________________ for Senegalese and other Africans (10) ___________________ around the world. He said people are treated unfairly, "(11) ___________________ you can never imagine". He added: "If you're coming from...the diaspora and...you (12) ___________________ Africa, we want Senegal to be your first stop."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ThesingerAkonwillbuildacityfromscratch.Hehasraisedmoneyforafut
uristiccityof300,000peopleonAfrica'swestcoast.HewillcallitAkonCity
.Hesaiditwasa"reallifeWakanda"thecityfromthemovie"BlackPanther".A
konwasbornintheUSAtoSenegaleseparents.Hesaidconstructiononth
e$6billionprojectwillstartnextyearandtakethreeyearstofinish.Hehop
esitwillprovidemuch-neededjobsforSenegalesepeople.Designsonak
oncity.comshowdreamlike,shiningglassandsteelskyscrapers.Theyw
ereinspiredbytraditionalAfricansculptures.Akonwantshishigh-techc
itytobeaportofcallforSenegaleseandotherAfricansfacingracialinjusti
cearoundtheworld.Hesaidpeoplearetreatedunfairly,"inwaysthatyou
canneverimagine".Headded:"Ifyou'recomingfrom...thediasporaan
d...youwanttovisitAfrica,wewantSenegaltobeyourfirststop."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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