Senegal's Youssou N'dour honoured in America

America’s elite Yale University has conferred an honorary doctorate degree on Senegal’s leading musician, Youssou N’dour.

N’dour was among ten world personalities whom Yale awarded honorary degrees last week for varied achievements.

By all indications, the University had elected to do so due to the artiste’s efforts to promote religious tolerance and world peace through his songs.

In its citation, the University noted: “You …have sung about tolerance and acted with conviction all the while remaining true to your own faith and culture.”

N’dour is a Muslim and has dared to sing objectively about Islam in the touchy matter of ideological global conflicts.

He has also often aired issues considered as taboo in Muslim homes in his majority Islamic country, Senegal.

Celebrity

One of N’dour’s most controversial albums – Egypt - was recorded shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attack on America but he feared releasing it immediately amid the temper of the time.

He later earned a Grammy award for it.

Essentially, though, N’Dour has sought to portray Islam as a religion of tolerance and understanding.

Yale president Prof Richard Levin said of N’dour at the conferment ceremony: “You understand the power of music to liberate, heal and unite…and call attention to injustice, poverty and disease.”

The music star is today one of Senegal’s most famous and wealthiest men, owning expensive sports cars, luxurious villas as well as a string of newspapers, an FM radio and a television station.

His music, locally known as “mbalax”, melds African rhythms with other sounds ranging from Cuban samba to hip-hop, jazz and soul.

“You have created Africa's leading ensemble, performed with great artistes around the world,” Prof Levin lauded the musician during the conferment ceremony.

“With your extraordinary sound, you give voice to hope and our common humanity. We salute you now as Doctor of Music," concluded the Yale University president.

Youssou N’dour, who is in his mid 50s, is a celebrity in African music on par with the likes of South Africa’s Hugh Masekela, the late Marian Makeba and the late Lucky Dube, Mali’s Salif Keita, and Cote d’Ivoire’s Alpha Blondy.