Youssou Ndour : I Bring What I Love

In 2007, Time magazine named Youssou Ndour one of the hundred most influential people in the world of art. Not only for his music, but especially for what this Senegalese singer did on the side: his work for UNICEF, his efforts to spread technology in Africa and to fight poverty as well. As a result, Ndour is seen by many Africans as the epitome of success and self-confidence. What's more, to quote his friend Peter Gabriel, the singer has "a voice of liquid gold." When Ndour starts singing, all the bad stuff fades away for awhile, and concert excerpts give us a generous dose of this phenomenon. But I Bring What I Love is not about Ndour as much as it is about his album Egypt. Released in 2004, this work is dedicated to Ndour's love for the Islamic faith. Not the smartest PR on earth, if you consider the fact that the world was suffering from a mild case of hysteria regarding that religion, but Ndour wasn't concerned. In Senegal, however, the singer was criticised for not being religious enough. According to conservative spiritual leaders, his album was a work of blasphemy. With Ndour as its guide, this film reveals the spiritual and musical sources that led to Egypt and what the singer was really trying to convey to his audience. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)