/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC-SENEGAL: Gulf War Casts Shadow on U.S. Tour

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Chris Simpson

DAKAR, Mar 17 2003 (IPS) - Despite the expanding popularity abroad of artists like Baaba Maal, Youssou N’Dour is probably still the only Senegalese performer who can sell out venues across North America.

But fans, who have already bought tickets for shows in Chicago, Boston, New York and elsewhere, are going to be disappointed. A seven-week American tour is off, cancelled at the singer’s own request as a clear protest against U.S. policy on Iraq and what N’Dour sees as an American-backed push to war.

In a statement issued on Mar 8, N’Dour stressed that March 2003 was not the right time to be touring the United States and his next performances would have to wait for "better times". The 43-year-old singer said the United Nations should be given the responsibility to disarm Iraq.

"As a matter of conscience, I question the United States government’s apparent intention to commence war in Iraq," said N’Dour. "I believe that coming to America at this time would be perceived in many parts of the world – rightly or wrongly – as support for this policy."

N’Dour made a clear distinction between the U.S. government and the American people. "I understand that there are many in the U.S. who do not support the idea of their government initiating war in Iraq at this time, and I offer my greatest respect to them." He also regretted the difficulties a cancelled tour would bring for concert promoters and fans, acknowledging the tour had been "over a year and a half in the planning and was the greatest commitment I had ever made to performing in the U.S."

Amongst the planned highlights had been New York’s fourth ‘Great African Ball’, scheduled for Apr 12-13 at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Ironically, N’Dour had been due to perform at the Hammerstein in Sep 2001, but that concert was cancelled as a result of the Sep 11 attacks on New York. The city has a huge Senegalese community.

In a subsequent radio interview, N’Dour acknowledged that pulling out now could have a negative impact on his career and meant a real sacrifice for those who worked with him, but reiterated his conviction that he could only perform when there was peace.

Much of N’Dour recorded output contains strong appeals for peace and human rights. Since his late teens, he has enjoyed a strong profile on the Senegalese music scene, his early collaborations with the Super Etoile group establishing him as the king of ‘mbalax’. Building on his success in Dakar, N’Dour has been arguably West Africa’s best-known artist outside the continent since the late 1980s. His early albums included Nelson Mandela, released in 1986 when Mandela was still a prisoner. In 1988 N’Dour was involved in the Amnesty International’s ‘Human Rights Now’ tour, where he joined musicians like Sting and Bruce Springsteen. N’Dour became a UNICEF Ambassador for the Performing Arts in 1993 and has spoken out repeatedly for children’s rights and against the recruitment of child soldiers. N’Dour has built up a following in parts of the Middle East and played in Beirut in 2002, while also backing UNICEF campaigns against juvenile delinquency in Lebanon.

While relations between the United States and Senegal remain close, there has been growing opposition in Senegal to U.S. policy on Iraq, with artists, writers and musicians amongst those lending their support to a campaign for peace.

But despite N’Dour’s record as a human rights campaigner and spokesperson for Africa, in Senegal more attention is paid locally to his business activities than to his philanthropic work. These include the ‘Xippi’ recording studio and the ‘Jololi’ record label, both credited with playing a leading role in the protection and promotion of Senegalese music.

More controversial has been N’Dour’s involvement in the ‘Groupe Com 7’ media house, which includes two Senegalese daily newspapers, ‘Info 7’ and ‘Le Populaire’ and a radio station, ‘7 FM’. While the singer withdrew from ‘Groupe Com 7’, in recent weeks he has been caught up in a series of messy legal battles with former partners over share issues and control of the country. Info 7 and Le Populaire have run a series of damning reports, questioning N’Dour’s business acumen and personal integrity. The singer says he has been badly misrepresented.