Youssou N'Dour stands for president in Senegal

SENEGALESE music star Youssou N'Dour has launched a bid to become president of his country. He will stand against the incumbent Abdoulaye Wade, who is running for a third term, in February.
 
N'Dour became one of the first African musicians to achieve worldwide success in the 1980s and has collaborated with Western performers including Peter Gabriel, Sting, Paul Simon and Wyclef Jean. He is an icon in Senegal and already has a high-profile role in the country where he owns a media group that runs radio and TV stations and a daily newspaper.
 
The 52-year-old has a long history of activism. He campaigned for the release of Nelson Mandela in the 1980s and is a UN Goodwill Ambassador. Last year he set up his own political movement called Fekke Maci Boole, which means 'I am involved' in the Wolof language.
 
His opponent is 85-year-old Wade, who has become a divisive figure. Last year he tried to change the constitution to eliminate run-offs in the presidential election.
 
As The Daily Telegraph reports: "N'Dour has emerged as an outspoken critic of Wade, whose bid for a controversial third term in office has opposition and civil society groups fuming, and tensions have led to violent clashes in recent months."
 
According to Thomas Fessy of the BBC, the news comes as no surprise. "N'Dour is extremely popular in Senegal, but for his music," he says. "Can he now turn hundreds of thousands of fans into voters? His radio and TV networks will be of great help but it is not that easy."
 
N'Dour, who was nominated for a Grammy in 1994 for his song Seven Seconds, performed with Neneh Cherry,  announced his candidacy on Monday night. He said it was "a supreme patriotic duty".
 
Speaking on his TV station, he added: "I haven't pursued higher education, but the presidency is a function and not a job. I have proved my competence, commitment, rigour and efficiency time and time again.
 
"I have studied at the school of the world. Travel teaches as much as books." ·