Gabriel Erjok Majer Akon (born c. 1994), known professionally as DyspOra (pronounced "die-spora"), is a South Sudanese-born Australian rapper and activist.
Born around 1994[1][2] as Gabriel Erjok Majer Akon,[3] he spent his first seven years living in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, before migrating to South Australia as a 10-year-old with his family in 2004.
[7] Akon attracted national attention in 2017 after performing his song "Open Road" with Elsy Wameyo live on Tonightly with Tom Ballard on ABC TV.
[5] He has given TEDx Youth talks at universities and is a big believer in giving back, and is regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists empowering young people through his music.
With the live sessions interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, Akon helped to supply the young musicians with microphones, and has kept in touch using Zoom video chat.
[5] Akon addressed the crowd at the Black Lives Matter protest in Adelaide on 6 June 2020, saying that he stood with Indigenous Australians in their fight against racism and injustice.