Nov, 2009 I Bring What I love: Youssou N’Dour

Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love (2008), 102 Min
Director/Producer: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

Thursday,Nov. 6, 7pm,
General Admission $5.00
Ice Theaters Chatham
210 West 87th Street
Chicago, IL 60620

SYNOPSIS
An audience sensation at film festivals worldwide, I Bring What I Love takes you behind the scenes and into the world of Africa’s most famous musician: Youssou N’Dour. This never-before-told story follows N’Dour at a turning point in his life and career, as he releases his most personal and controversial album Egypt.

With this album he sought to use music to promote a more tolerant face of Islam, a loving homage to his religion. At the height of his career, Youssou became frustrated by the negative perception of his Muslim faith and composed Egypt, a deeply spiritual album dedicated to a more tolerant view of Islam. The album’s brave musical message was wholeheartedly embraced by Western audiences but ignited serious religious controversy in his homeland of Senegal.
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The project started over a year before the tragic events of 9/11.He halted the release in order not to be swept up in the sensationalism and extreme negativism towards Islam that came about in the year afterward. He feared the album would be misinterpreted.

Release of the album sometime later, during the month of Ramadan in Senegal, erupts in scandal and outrage in his native country. The album is rejected and denounced as blasphemous.

The film follows N’dour in his quest to lobby for acceptance of his creative work on it’s own merit in his own country.
In this quest, he goes to the scared city of Touba, the holy city of Mouridism(Islamic Sufism) and the burial place of its founder, Shaikh Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke.

Part explosive documentary, part stirring drama, I Bring What I Love is an unforgettable musical journey with an artist whose courage and conviction shook the music industry and ultimately awakened the world.