Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Douris a Senegalese singer, percussionist, songwriter, composer, occasional actor, businessman and a politician. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, "perhaps the most famous singer alive" in Senegal and much of Africa. From April 2012 to October 2012, he was Senegal's Minister of Tourism and Culture, and from October 2012 to September 2013, he was Senegal's Minister of Tourism and Leisure...
NationalitySenegalese
ProfessionWorld Music Singer
Date of Birth1 October 1959
CountrySenegal
Islam is a peaceful religion.
I can assure you that I have never used my media companies for propaganda, and I will never do so.
I want to use my music to deliver a political message and sometimes to denounce, but I don't want to be a politician.
I have to protect my family and have a life with them that is completely private.
I love meeting interesting people and doing things with them.
In the West, you have always associated the Islamic faith 100 percent with Arab culture. This in itself is a fundamentalist attitude and it is mistaken.
I think people should know more of Africa in terms of its joie de vivre, its feeling for life. In spite of the images that one knows about Africa - the economic poverty, the corruption - there's a joy to living and a happiness in community, living together, in community life, which may be missing here in America.
Music in Africa often contains messages. Music in Senegal, and Africa, is never music for music's sake or solely for entertainment. It's always a vehicle for social connections, discussions and ideas.
People need to see that, far from being an obstacle, the world's diversity of languages, religions and traditions is a great treasure, affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others.