Articles
Youssou N'Dour on Music, Islam, and Obama
\r\n In the wake of controversy, and in the spotlight of a new documentary, the venerable musician opens up.\r\nYou have probably...
06.26.09
YN: When I was a little boy, my father used to listen to Umm Kulthum's concerts on short wave radio. I grew up with that music and always liked it. In 2000, during the Ramadan, the idea came to me to record something just for my people. An album they could listen to during Ramadan. Then 9/11 happened and I decided not to release it. I waited three years.G:Was there a message about Islam that you wanted to get across to people in Egypt?YN: I wanted everyone to understand that Islam is not only an Arabic religion. It's everywhere in the world. But especially, when I did that album, it was because I had always wanted to record something with an Egyptian orchestra.G:And the reaction to the album wasn't particularly warm?YN: First, in Senegal, it was difficult. People weren't used to me singing about my faith. They were really surprised and shocked. I did a lot of interviews to explain my project. It was an intimate project that I didn't plan to release at first. But then, all my friends told me that this music should be heard and is for everyone.G:You've worked with foreign musicians like Peter Gabriel and embraced lots of different kinds of music in your own. Does this welcoming attitude towards musical differences have anything to do with your message about a more tolerant Islam?YN: Yes and no. I consider myself first a musician, not as a Muslim guide. I love to share musical experiences with different musicians-rock, pop, or jazz.G:What do you hope this new documentary accomplishes?YN: I hope it will carry a new image of Islam to the world. A realistic image of black African Islam is shown in the movie. I think also that the film has retraced the story of griots, our storytellers. But you know, the first time I saw the movie, I learned things about myself. I saw events that I have forgotten. I was a real spectator of the film. I realized, through the director's eyes, how people see me.G:Did you see Barack Obama's speech at Cairo University? What did you think about it?YN: I haven't seen it but I read it and I think it was a very good speech. We have the same idea and understanding of what Islam really is-a tolerant and peaceful religion. A minority makes the image of Islam dangerous and frightening but it's not the Islam of a majority of Muslim people. I also agree with Obama that things will not change in one day. It will take time for things to evolve.Photo by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.