Tonight (Friday) the Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician who in 2004 Rolling Stone described as “perhaps the most famous singer alive” in Senegal and much of Africa, Youssou N’Dour, will be performing live with his band Super Etoile de Feu at the Port Adriano Mallorca Festival. And the man of many talents is promising a real treat for Mallorca, as he told the Bulletin in French this week.
Q.— Having grown up in Nigeria, I know that Africa is a very complex and divided continent. Why do you think your music touches and connects with so many people across Africa and the world?
A. — Thank you for that question. As I sang on my album Eyes Open, which I released in 1992, there’s a song I wrote called The Same, and here’s one of the verses: “Sound is the same for all the world. Everybody has a heart. Everybody gets a feeling. Let’s play! Rock, reggae, jazz, mbalax - all around the world, the same. Pachanga, soul music, rhythm and blues, the same. Samba, rumba, cha-cha-cha. The same.” All this to say that my inspiration comes from my deep desire to share common stories and emotions. You know, music has a unique power to transcend borders and touch souls. When you’re a musician you speak a universal language that overcomes divisions and has the ability to bring people together, remind them of our common humanity and promote understanding and solidarity. Music is a melody and a word that can speak of love, friendship, peace, and subjects that concern us all, such as the environment and immigration - subjects that we all experience in our daily lives, and that’s why I think we identify with the rhythms and melodies and also love the lyrics. Also, throughout my career, I’ve always been open to world cultures while putting an African stamp on them.
Now, after my world tour with Peter Gabriel, my commitment to human rights with the Amnesty International tour in 1988, and the release of 7 Seconds, a lot of people are more interested in my career and my involvement in creation.”
Q.— Do you come from a musical family? What was your source of inspiration growing up?
A. — I come from a griot family on my mother’s side. And in Africa, griots are the guardians of our traditions, which are very much oral. The one who initiated me the most was my maternal grandmother - Mame Marie Sène (to whom I pay tribute with the song Yakaar). She was a great traditional singer. Her performances were much appreciated at family and social ceremonies. She inspired me a lot and gave me the basics of singing.
Q.— What was and is your inspiration as a songwriter?
A. — My environment is my main source of inspiration. Everything speaks to me! I look at the society around me and my thoughts dive into it to read about its evolution, its challenges, its good points as well as the not-so-good ones. Every day, the people I meet, the looks I get, the stories I hear and the events unfolding around me - everything inspires me. It’s a natural state that, like the air, is in and around me. The cultural traditions and stories of our continent, the influence of my own life, my experiences, and my travels around the world also play a crucial role in my creative process.
Q.— Who is the musician who has most influenced your career?
A. — Oh, without a doubt, it’s Peter (Gabriel). Not only did he invite me to sing with him on stage, but he also showed me extraordinary respect and consideration during all our collaborations, both on stage and off. Peter has always had a deep interest in world music, and when he invited me to take part in his So album in 1986, and the Human Rights Now tour organised by Amnesty International in 1988, I was certainly famous in Senegal and Africa, but it gave another dimension to my career. Peter Gabriel has always encouraged me to stay true to my roots while exploring new musical horizons.
I’d like to take this opportunity to pay him a warm tribute, because beyond being my friend, his artistic vision and his commitment to music and human rights have had a profound influence on music.
Q.— What do you hope to convey and communicate with your music?
A. — As I said a few weeks ago at UC Berkeley in Valencia, I sing about love in all its fullness. Love of self, love of our neighbours in all our differences, love of nature, and love of our creator.
Q.— As a former minister of tourism, what do you think of the anti-tourism movement in Europe, particularly in Mallorca, at a time when tourism is an increasingly important source of income for Africa?
A. — I don’t necessarily see things from that angle. Through the name of the anti-tourism in Europe movement, I sense a cry from the heart. Now, I won’t talk about ideology, but I invite the world to take an interest in why this cry to ban tourism in a place that certainly used to want it and now no longer does. Tourism is certainly a highly economic activity, but it should also be an opportunity to develop our regions and cultivate a cultural mix that respects our cultural, social and environmental heritage. In my opinion, we must not link the possible development of Africa with the abandonment of tourism in Europe. Besides, why should we accept what others reject if it is based on plausible arguments?
Q.— As a former presidential candidate, how would you have changed Senegal?
A. — I don’t believe in providential men. For me, a leader must have a vision that is shared and supported by the population if development is to be achievable. Without cohesion, there can be no improvement. I said this in one of my songs called Sama Dom (My dear child). I literally said “if 10 people dig a well and 10 people try to cover it up, despite all their efforts, there can only be dust and no well”.
Q.— Is corruption the driving force behind illegal immigration to the west? Is there a solution?
A. — Illegal immigration cannot be solved by corruption alone. Above all, I reject this view, because it would be as if we only had corrupt leaders. Illegal immigration is also the result of unequal world relations, of the selfishness of countries that pollute the planet, of those countries, multinationals and organisations that plunder our resources for crumbs in return. When I see so-called Western countries being given the opportunity to go into debt in order to develop, only to be refused with fanciful arguments, I tell myself that illegal immigration has a bright future with this kind of approach to relations between countries. Now we need more effort from ‘these countries’ and donor organisations to encourage, promote and encourage training, education and job creation in Africa.
Q.— How do you feel when you see your comrades and their children dying trying to reach Europe?
A. — It hurts me to the core. I say it over and over again. Africa is the future. And I often give young people the example of my life. I was born, raised, live and die in Africa. I really don’t have the words to express everything I feel when I see these images. It’s very hard.
Q.— Do you think that the West continues to deliberately disrupt Africa for its own interests?
A. — You know, let’s not kid ourselves, states defend their own interests and don’t necessarily have any friends. It’s up to us to defend our own interests for the good of our people. And as I have been singing for years, there is a new Africa, with young men and women who intend to do more than their parents and who will no longer accept anyone’s diktat. The new Africa I sang about has arrived, and the youth of AFRICA are conquerors.
Q.— Is it time for a serious and appropriate apology for slavery?
A. — It’s not a question of apologising, because no apology is sufficient to heal this crime against humanity. They want to put us to sleep with concepts of forgiveness. I can tell you this: the black people of the world are neither vengeful nor resentful. In our diversity, we seek to find each other from Africa to the West Indies, from Saint Louis in the United States to Saint Louis in Senegal.
Q.— You’ve won numerous awards and sung with some of the biggest international artists - you must be proud?
A. — I’m extremely proud of every award I’ve won and every artist I’ve shared a stage with, a studio session with or even featured. I don’t pick and choose among the awards. Everything is important and I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my unwavering love to all my fans around the world and my thanks to every organisation, institution, company and group of people who have dedicated an award or tribute to me since the beginning of my career.
Q.— As one of the most influential African artists in history and one of the greatest singers of all time, what is your message to the world?
A. — Love and mutual respect for each other. Consideration for human beings and nature. I think that our diversity should be used as a source of wealth and not as a weapon of division.
Q.— In your opinion, what is the greatest threat facing the world today?
A. — People’s selfishness is a threat to humanity.
Q.— What can audiences expect from your concert in Mallorca?
A. — The beauty of African music and a Youssou N’Dour and the Super Etoile de Feu!