Youssou N’dour wins Polar Prize

African singer Youssou N’dour has followed in the footsteps of Sir Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan by winning Sweden’s prestigious Polar Music Prize. The Grammy Award-winning musician was chosen by the committee in charge of selecting the recipient of the honour, for being “not just a singer, but a storyteller, poet, singer of praise, entertainer and verbal historian… (who) has worked to reduce animosities between his own religion, Islam, and other religions.”
He will share a prize of $153,200 (£95,000) with fellow winner, Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho.
The Polar Music Prize, which was founded by ABBA’s former manager Stig Anderson in 1989, is shared annually by a pop artist and a classical musician.
Last year’s (12) winners were Paul Simon and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.