Photo: Jake Chessum
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi calls Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour the “Bono of Africa,” but he’s not such an easy guy to pin down. Both a musician and activist—hero to some and pariah to others—N’Dour’s impact is as unique as it is wide. Vasarhelyi spent five years chronicling his story for Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love, a film about the African pop star’s life.
The first half of the movie delves into N’Dour’s musical awakening, when he inherits his grandmother’s love of song. Though his career blooms into full-fledged stardom, when he begins singing about human rights and his issues with Islam, he angers his Senegalese neighbors for whom free speech about religion has always been off limits.
The film is anything but black and white. In one scene, N’Dour’s frantic brother is explaining why his pop-y music just won’t fly on certain Senegalese radio stations. “You play, ‘Allah, Allah,’ and then you take that off, and you put on ‘G-Spot’ or ‘One Night Stand.’ These things don’t go together!”
Much of this magically moving film consists of clips from N’Dour’s wildly lively shows; whether in his home of Senegal or at Carnegie Hall, the artist is always met with cheering crowds and sold-out arenas.
