Youssou N'Dour is one of the Senegalese musicians that best represents the African musical panorama. The Dakar-born singer sees music as a lifestyle; a way of reading his surroundings and communicating with others without prejudice and a way of overcoming ethnic, cultural and geopolitical differences. His style associates with and reinterprets traditional music, blending it with contemporary genres. He sings in English and French but does not relinquish the expressiveness of Wolof, the national language of Senegal. His songs are often about daily life and the problems faced by ordinary people; the subjects range from the economic situation to racism, slavery, colonialism and the emigration of those who leave in search of a better life. Not forgetting, of course, love, the power and beauty of Senegalese women, the importance of values and the common ideals that are the heritage of an evolving society with a strong attachment to its roots. Since the late 1980s, N'Dour's talent and idea of a multiethnic and multiexperiential global village have brought him huge numbers of fans. His experiences as part of the fantastic Etoile de Dakar and his work with Sting and Peter Gabriel have made him famous throughout the world. A commitment to the Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour provided him with still greater global renown and turned him into a spokesman for human rights. In 1993 N'Dour became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and he has played at numerous benefit concerts for African children infected with HIV/AIDS.