When the slaves left Africa, they left us this music. They left us blues.

Africa is the future.

Islam is a peaceful religion.

I think people should know more of Africa in terms of its joie de vivre, its feeling for life. In spite of the images that one knows about Africa - the economic poverty, the corruption - there's a joy to living and a happiness in community, living together, in community life, which may be missing here in America.

I'm a modern Muslim. I pray, and if I have a question, I ask someone who is more educated in the religion than me.

My father used to tell me about how musicians don't have respect from people and he was afraid about my future.

I think that Sufism fits all over the world. The concept is not anything that fits standard Western ideas - it's always related to culture, to music, to religion. It is a dominant religion in Senegal.