By Sarjo Bayang,
Independent Evaluator, Enterprise Development and Project Consultant UK
After declaring his candidature to become President of Senegal, Youssou Ndour transformed social discussion in dramatic ways. People of Gambia and Senegal in particular have already formed solid opinions publicly or by private exchange of divergent views. Can Youssou Ndour the music star who won great admiration from far and near around the globe be able to keep his own nation happy this time not by playing music but in the arena of politics ?
Aimed at doing greater justice, you are about to read a profile of Youssou Ndour assessed by independent evaluation. It is independent because the author has no access to anyone close to Senegal’s musical super star candidate for acquiring personal information. The perspective by which this assessment focuses is through looking at Youssou Ndour, as enterprising musical artist, creator of an employing band, and above all manager for so long. The assessment is based on the author’s expertise in enterprise development and project management consulting for several years capped with university studies at masters level on MBA, M A Enterprising People’s Mangement, and MSc Business Project Management at three UK universities. Also an advocate of change through media and civil society in progressive partnership.
Youssou Ndour as Entrepreneur
Expert definition of an Entrepreneur is someone with ability to identify latent business opportunities and mobilising resources for their most gainful exploitation by creating an establishment known as the enterprise. More than two decades of stage performance have led to the establishment of Youssou Ndour and the Super Etoile Band as world known musical enterprise providing opportunity for countless Senegalese singers and entertainers. Principles of entrepreneurship have it that the enterprise and entrepreneur are two separate entities. How that works in organisational life is that the manager of an enterprise is a manageable individual too.
This means that even if it was the manager who provides 100% input towards the establishment and operation of the business as in this example of Youssou Ndour, there is something unique. While a manager may serve various purposes, the manager is still a manager. By extension, the proprietor of an enterprise is just another employee. This person is still recognised for creating the establshment. In turn, the establshment creates a job for its creator. That is the logic and beauty of entrepreneurial discipline competent managers pride on. Those who know Youssou Ndour will tell you that though he is the proprietor and creator of the Super Etoile musical enterprise, in practice he is employed by the band he created.
There is something fundamentally very interesting about how Youssou Ndour is able to balance his role as creator or proprietor of the band and yet nurturing the personal discipline to take on the role of singer leaving various functions to other competent members of the band. What we learn from all that is this basic truth. Youssou Ndour has passed the test of personal discipline in distancing himself as sole proprietor of an enterprise to being an employee of the band. Extending that further, he created jobs for lot more people. In one of his interviews, he confirmed creating jobs for many people through his wider enterprise expansion.
As Manager
Resourceful efficiency of managers is best determined by effective results in terms of maximising output from a given input. The best of managers according to management thinking are those who enhance the productive process by helping others to excel in performance and resourceful capacity. Not to labour over theoretical principles underpinning management, we are looking at practical realities associated with the way Youssou Ndour handles his responsibility as manager and proprietor of a successful enterprise venture in over two decades.
Success in management is largely measured according to how much progress everyone else contributes to advamcement of the establishment through competent co-ordination by the manager. Youssou Ndour as Manager of his establishment has amply demonstrated best attributes of efficient and effective managerial ability. He created an estbalishment, employs others including himself and in the most enhancing team spirit they stick together to deliver what we all know as the band of success many others want to emulate. The success of Youssou Ndure and his Super Etoile Band serves a bench mark and the man behind it a glaring role model.
Managing Success and Fame
When fame dawns on some people, the impact can be devastating. Some famous people have blown the roof getting totally mad. There are vast scores of people who cannot just cope with name and status. Majority of people get easily infatuated by any significant chnage in name and status. Artists of various classification have succumbed to fame in very degrading ways.
These include singers, painters, writers, and other specialised talent brackets. Acoloholism is one manifest of some successful and famous persons. There is this lame talk about people of gifted talent that drinking alcolohol or taking drugs stimulates perfiormance. With others, there are various forms of self inflicting and seriously harmful misconduct all in the name of fame.
Through remote observation, there is no word staining the character of Youssou Ndour or members of his band in their collective handling of success and fame. The person of Youssou Ndour is one that is properly composed with all indicators that he is able to manage success and fame the best anyone expects from someone his level of attainment. This leads to the crucial question regarding what type of society Senegalese is.
Elitism and Petit Bourgeois Mentality
Like many parts of Africa, the social ethos of Senegal is largely influenced by elitism and petit bourgeoise mentality. Many strive to rich the top through the social ladder. Employment in the public sector is open to people of certain educational standard and specialised skills brackets like engineers, economists, financial managers, consultancy, and other sought after trades. To boost income, a select number win jobs with international agencies operating mainly in the capital city Dakar.
Bourgeoisie of Senegal condone the status quo so long as they enjoy job security and access to resources. Corruption may be prevalent but largely condoned. Senegalese civil society appears to be aware of the imbalances in socio-economic relations but life goes on as usual. It is this petit bourgeoisie who could contribute to enhancing social awareness and make it increasingly difficult for politicians taking undue advantage. Yet due to the relatively stable income inducements, most times people of Senegal take to the street, it is the down trodden in their majority who react to emerging harsh situations.
Inactivity on part of the petit bourgeoisie permits political demagogy to flourish in Senegal at heavy price to the larger population living at hand-to-mouth standard of living.
Rural Poverty and Urbane Senegal
Outside the capital Dakar and further inland, there is vast disparity in standard of living with riural poverty and urbane Senegal visibly distinct. Access to resources provides people of urban Senegal particularly those around the capital relatively better conditions than those in rural areas. North of Senegal is largely arid land although farmers take advantage of the rainy season to cultivate food crops.
Northern Senegal is separated by the South with Gambia plotted in the middle. It is this area called Cassamance where the Jola ethnic group take to the forest cover fighting what they call a liberation struggle for independence. The geo-political reality presents a critical situation posing serious problem for government of Senegal. Though Cassamance is distant location of Dakar, the land is more fertile and provides most of the basic food stock and material from the forest resources. Youssou Ndour promised to break up the poverty gap between remote areas and urbane Dakar. That is a key issue of concern for poor rural voters.
Education
Elites of Senegal are vastly seasoned technocrats and there exists a pool of bureaucrats. When propely managed, Senegal has a bankable reserve of highly skilled persons needed to advance the nation. A large proportion of the elite are multi linguals with French being the official language and English is widely understood. Senegalese travel widely and quick to learn various European languages.
Before anyone takes up issue with Youssou Ndour, he made no secret about his standard of education when he stated that he has not been to university or through any higher formal education system. But wait a minute, what is Senegal looking for ? He may not be the most formally educated but the personal credentials of Youssou Ndour promise a bankable platform where home grown experience is put to test in ways never known in history. Next door country Gambia has been run by a coup leader president for almost 20 years, someone whose education and leadership qualities are nothing near YOussou Ndour. Gambians therefore have nothing to complain about Youssou Ndour’s education. The other fact is that he is seeking a clean mandate and not using bullets where ballots could do it more decent. Youssou Ndour speaks good Englsh and French.
Politics
Multi party democracy characterises political life in Senegal with leadership power shared between three presidents in more than 40 years since independence. Significance of this to the situation that led to Youssou Ndour’s candidacy is a big part of rationale over political decisiion for competing candidates. In all the 40 years of independence, there is no significant political system change in Senegal. Various ruling parties claim to be attached to political ideologies of one type or the other. In reality, it has always been the same politics of elitism, bourgeoisie, and bureucracy ever since Senegal gained independence from France.
If there is any real change in politics, Youssou Ndour presents the challenge for diversity in big ways.
How is Youssou Ndour Different with other Leaders of Senegal ?
In terms of alternative politics, Youssou Ndour has unique selling potential above all others. Due to what some people may want to bite his flesh for not been formally schooled to university standard, his experience and ability to run a success organisation is a winning edge. He used his resources to test management, enterprise, and project ideas, emerging with tangible evidence of successful results. None of Senegal’s past and current leaders have done things the Youssou Ndour way prior to venturing politics and entrusted with public resources.
Youssou Ndour used personal resources to generate public opportunities where other politicians banked on public resources to advance personal agenda and political high profiling. Above all, when shared between the three leaders so far since independence, Senegal cannot boast of any evolution in socio-political paradigms of the nation. Above all, going by his track records, there is convincing body of evidence to suggest Yousoou will not play the politics of dictatorship. He is known to have delegated responsibility by giving the right role to the right persons. That is what every progressive leader is able to deliver when tasked with nation building.
Relations with Gambia
Through his musical fame and by frequency of tours people of Gambia relate to Youssou Ndour far more than any Senegalese leader. Gambia and Senegal differ consoiderably in terms of size and official language use, the people are yet so closed. It is very much likely that a Youssou Ndour presidency in Senegal will give people of Gambia greater hope that co-operation between the two nations will transcend lip service and poltical demagogy.
By and large family ties between Gambians and Senegalese remain one social platform unshaken by any political disagreements between sitting governments.
International Exposure as UNICEF Ambassador
It was one international TV commentator who was quick to recognise the fact that since becoming UNICEF Ambassador, Youssou has gained access to key development partners and high profile politicians. Such exposure according the commentator is solid ground to help Youssou Ndour mount his political flag pole when he becomes President of Senegal in 2012. There is sense to agree with that. Go for it Youssou. You have what it takes to be a truly caring leader.
Obsevervations and issues arising from this article can reach the author through email conatct: [email protected]
