Youssou N’dour dedicates prize money to Senegalese musicians’ body

The prize was awarded by His Highness Prince Hitachi, younger brother to the emperor of Japan and honorary patron of the Japan Art Association. The prizemoney will be donated to the Senegalese Artists Association's medical body.

N’Dour was among five recipients of the 29th prestigious Praemium Imperiale International Arts Awards. The other African to receive the award this year was Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui. Both are the first persons from their respective countries to receive the award.

The Senegalese singer and each of the other awardees received 15 million yen ($134 000). The Senegalese great announced the donation at a special ceremony held for the laureates on 18 October.

At the award ceremony, the awardees also received a specially-designed gold medal and a testimonial letter from His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi. The awardees, said the organisers, were “chosen because of their artistic achievements, their international renown and because their work has enriched humanity”.

The Praemium Imperiale was created in 1988 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Japan Art Association and to honour the late Prince Takamatsu, who was the association’s honorary patron for almost six decades. Winners are chosen by the association based on the recommendations of nominating committees, chaired by statesmen and business leaders, in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Now in its 29th year, the award brings international recognition to the arts in much the same way as the Nobel Prize does to the sciences.

Youssou N'Dour's last album Africa Rekk, was released in November.