Youssou N'Dour's recent 50th birthday was marked with a cover article from Songlines and a BBC radio documentary. "I'd never heard a voice like it," Peter Gabriel tells the BBC of first hearing Youssou's music, "so smart and emotional at the same time." Youssou is due to perform at an event by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, this weekend and will receive the Medal of Honor from Lille, France, during next week's World Forum Lille.
Youssou N'Dour celebrated his 50th birthday last month, an occasion marked by Songlines magazine with a feature cover story about Youssou in the current issue. BBC also took the opportunity to look back on the singer and humanitarian's life and career with Youssou N'Dour at 50, a documentary recently broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and available online at bbc.co.uk.
For the BBC documentary, reporter Robin Denselow talks to the man he calls "the most successful and influential musician in Africa." He also hears from the likes of Orchestra Baobab's Rudi Gomis, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and singer/songwriter Peter Gabriel, all of whom have known and performed with Youssou over the years.
"I'd never heard a voice like it," Gabriel recalls of his first encounter with Youssou's music. "It was just so fluid and free, and there were these wonderful rhythms. It was just extraordinary singing that was so smart and emotional at the same time."
Marsalis compares the singer to Billie Holiday in his ability to express a song's meaning through the power of his voice, transcending the lyrics. "Youssou is one of those people where he was just born with this gift of universality."
Listen to Youssou N'Dour at 50 at bbc.co.uk.
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This weekend, Youssou is due to participate in a cultural celebration presented by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Saturday and Sunday. The Foundation, which works to support African leadership that will improve the economic and social prospects of people throughout Africa, is hosting a forum on issues of climate justice, agriculture and food security, and regional economic integration. Youssou will join fellow African stars like Angelique Kidjo in a performance for participants and guests, including former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Learn more about the organization at moibrahimfoundation.org.
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Next week, N'Dour is scheduled to receive the Medal of Honor from the city of Lille, France, in a private ceremony with the the city's mayor, Martine Aubry, reports the region's Voix du Nord. The Medal of Honor will be given in recognition of N'Dour's long-standing and ongoing commitment to humanitarian efforts. The ceremony will coincide with the World Forum Lille, to be held November 19-21, which N'Dour is set to attend to discuss Birima, the micro-finance company he founded. The focus of this year's Forum is on responsible, fair, and sustainable finance. For more on the event, visit worldforum-lille.org.
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You can hear Youssou's song "Fight Malaria" on the forthcoming benefit album from the RED organization titled Indie Rocks!, with 100% of the proceeds to go to Malaria No More. For more information, visit malarianomore.org.
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