If you have ever heard the music of Senegalese pop music star Youssou N'Dour, then it is easy to imagine how any film in which he is the subject could be electrifying, enlightening and unifying all at once.
"I Bring What I Love," a documentary film directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, chronicles N'Dour's rise to national and international stardom in the 1970s and '80s, as well as his more recent and more controversial album, "Egypt."
N'Dour was born in 1959 in Senegal's capital, Dakar. His mother was a Griot—a traditional West African poet, singer, and storyteller—so he had music in his life early on. Despite his father's wishes, he traveled to Gambia at a young age with a friend to follow his dreams of becoming a musician.
Developing a new style of popular music called mbalax—a fusion of the Griot and Afro-Cuban style—N'Dour gained popularity due to his inspirational lyrics involving tales of Senegalese Sufi Muslim origins and themes of African unification. His 1994 track "7 Seconds" earned him Africa's first platinum record.
Despite his immense popularity, his 2004 project "Egypt," in which he fused West and North African musical styles by collaborating with an Egyptian orchestra, was met with widespread skepticism in Senegal because it was released during the holy month of Ramadan.
"Egypt," despite its opposition in Senegal, was highly acclaimed in the Western world and earned N'Dour a Grammy award in 2004.
N'Dour has always been and continues to be involved with a variety of human rights projects across the globe.
The film itself employs a variety of media to illustrate Youssou N'Dour's wide range of projects and accomplishments. Interviews conducted specifically for the film are combined with film clips from older interviews to provide a broader perspective of N'Dour's entire career.
Additionally, there is a large amount of film footage of Senegalese cultural and religious traditions that help give viewers a sense of the background and people about which N'Dour sings.
The most inspiring footage in the entire film, however, and the film's best overall feature, is the incredible live music that is documented. The film includes performances ranging from the band's impromptu jam sessions in hotel lobbies to packed performances in enormous stadiums, such as N'Dour's appearance with Peter Gabriel at a Live Aid concert in the 1990s.
Whether or not the success of "I Bring What I Love" hinges solely on N'Dour's performances rather than the actual film itself is difficult to say, and in the end, does not really matter.
The fact is that the film is effective in conveying its intended message: Youssou N'Dour's music and socio-political activism have been able to transcend nationality, religion and language in an overwhelmingly positive way.
The film is definitely worth seeing as it reveals, insight into a specific part of Islamic culture little known in the Western world.
"I Bring What I Love" has won the Special Jury Prize at the Middle East Film Festival, the Audience Award at the DC International Film Festival, and Official Selection at the Telluride Film Festival. It screens at Frontier Café in Fort Andross today at 3 p.m. and on Saturday September 19 at 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.