Source:
The GuardianHe is the son of a car mechanic who began by hustling pirated CDs in car parks and went on to become one of the most influential recording artists in the world.
Now Youssou N'Dour is putting his music career on hold so he can enter politics ahead of presidential elections in his native Senegal next February.
"I will free myself of all artistic commitments from 2 January next year to enter the political arena," N'Dour told a cheering crowd at the weekend. "For me, there are two Senegals. The Senegal of the have-nots and Senegal of the haves. My concern is the Senegal of the have-nots," the musician added on his own TV station, TCM, in the west African country.
N'Dour's plan has been greeted with wild optimism by his many fans, but not everyone is thrilled.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/nov/28/youssou-ndour-politics-senegal-music