The Senegalese Donald Trump?

Youssou N'Dour, arguably Africa's most famous musician is going to try his hand at politics and has announced his attention to run for the presidency of Senegal. In addition to being a famous singer he has created a media empire that has produced one Senegal's most popular newspaper and has a strong following on his television and radio stations. Through this N'Dour has built up a wealth and a business that has observers calling him the fulfillment of the Senegalese version of the American Dream. Will his popularity vault him to the presidency? Can his business skills translate into political success?

Obviously Donald Trump and Herman Cain were unable to turn their business skills into political success. Wyclef Jean was unable to parlay his popularity to the Haitian presidency. But there are major distinctions between N'Dour and these three. First, for all of his wealth N'Dour has not alienated poorer Senegalese or appeared to be solely in things for his own gain and fame. Second, N'Dour is not mired in a sex scandal. And third, and most importantly, unlike Wyclef who left Haiti to live in America, N'Dour opened his media empire up in his home country and the modest area of Medina.

N'Dour faces a number of hurdles to overcome. Not all of his fans are certain that he can make the jump from music to politics. They wonder if a man, even as successful as N'Dour can or should ascend to the top of Senegalese politics without even a high school diploma. There is also a number of experienced politicians he will have to defeat en route to the presidency. The man that casts the biggest shadow in this regard is the incumbent, Abdoulaye Wade.

Abdoulaye Wade has been president since 2000 and prior to this he was a leading opposition figure in the country for two and a half decades. At 85, his age is a much debated topic in Senegal. There is also a statute that calls for two terms only for the president. Abdoulaye Wade claims that since the law was passed after he was in office it does not apply to him. This also has created a lot of debate. Regardless of the outcome though, N'Dour's involvement is likely to bring along more attention and focus to the election from the African Union and beyond. Hopefully this will squelch any chance of a tainted election. If N'Dour's candidacy achieves that, it will be a success.