I've listened to his music since the mid-80's and followed his social activism efforts with United Nations, Amnesty International and UNICEF on issues of health care, human rights and the consequences of illegal immigration. He has developed a micro-finance organization in conjunction with Benetton United Colors to support and encourage small business owners in Senegal and has worked with many musical artists - notably Peter Gabriel (Biko), Sting, Wycliff Jean, Lou Reed to raise awareness for human rights across the world. So great that someone who has made such a worthy contribution on so many levels is acknowledged and honoured with such a position.
AND one of his first order of business as Minister or Culture was to declare, for the first time, that the St.Louis Jazz Festival's (in Senegl) would be free. For a country whose personal income level is barely at subsistence level, one can imagine that such an internationally acknowledged festival would have been out of reach for a majority of the local community, and this gesture allowed for a population, for whom attendance at this festival would never have been thinkable, doable. Very cool.
http://www.senegalsoul.com/2012/01/festival-of-jazz-20th-annual-st-louis.html?m=1
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