Politics is politics; art is art. If you play a political role, you have to stop being an artist.

Politics is politics; art is art. If you play a political role, you have to stop being an artist.

People need to see that, far from being an obstacle, the world's diversity of languages, religions and traditions is a great treasure, affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others.

The question of modernization is central to disturbances in the Middle East and in Africa. Everyone is after modernization, no matter where they come from. But you have to be careful about it, and more importantly, you have to have sense about it.

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.

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.