The organisers of the 4th International Music Council’s World Forum on Music
announced that world-renowned Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour has accepted to
share with the Forum participants his reflections on the Forum’s overall theme
“Music and social change”. In his keynote on Tuesday September 27th, Youssou N’Dour
will address the role of culture in general and music in particular as a vehicle
for building tolerance, dialogue and understanding.
Singer, percussionist, songwriter and composer, Youssou N’Dour has associated
himself with several social and political issues. In 1985, he organized a concert
for the release of Nelson Mandela. He was a featured performer in the 1988
worldwide Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour. He has also worked with the
United Nations and UNICEF and he started Project Joko to open internet cafés in
Africa and to connect Senegalese communities around the world.
Youssou N’Dour helped to develop a particular style of popular music in Senegal,
known in the Serer language as mbalax. Youssou’s mix of mbalax with eclectic
influences ranging from Cuban samba to hip hop, jazz, and soul has won him an
international fan base of millions.
In June 2011 Youssou N’Dour received an honorary degree from Yale University. Yale
President Richard Levin saluted N’Dour for having “created Africa’s leading
ensemble, performed with great artists around the world, sung about tolerance,
acted with conviction, all the while remaining true to (his) own faith and
culture”. He also stressed N’Dour’s understanding of the power of music to
liberate, heal and unite, his extraordinary sound giving “voice to hope and our
common humanity”.
“The IMC community feels deeply honoured to see the 2004 Laureate of the IMC-UNESCO
International Music Prize backing the 4th IMC World Forum on Music. Given Youssou
N’Dour’s commitment to music and its role in society, we believe that his keynote
will significantly add to the overall impact of the Forum”, said Silja Fischer, IMC
Secretary General.
300 participants from some 70 countries and six continents are expected to gather
in Tallinn; most of them fulfill an important multiplier function as they are
representatives of national, regional and international networks.
Registration is open at www.worldforumonmusic.org!
4th IMC World Forum on Music
Presented by the International – European – Estonian Music Councils
www.worldforumonmusic.org
CONTACT IMC:
International Music Council
Maison de l’UNESCO
1 rue Miollis
75732 Paris cedex 15
France
Tel. +33 1 45 68 48 50
Fax +33 1 45 68 48 66
Email: wfm@imc-cim.org
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
