Senegal's Youssou N'dour honoured in America
By: Tamba Jean-Matthew
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.
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.
05/30/11 >> 
