The Lord Mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council, Yankuba Colley, on Saturday conferred an honourary citizenship of Kanifing on Senegalese music icon, Youssou Ndour, at a ceremony held at the Ocean Bay Hotel in Cape Point.

This, according to a press release from the Kanifing Municipal Council, was in due recognition of Youssou's achievements in entertaining and uniting generations of the people of the Senegambia region and beyond, through music, over the past several decades.  It was also meant to recognise his singular love for The Gambia and support for local initiatives that seek to better the lives of the less-privileged.

Speaking at the presentation of the citizenship certificate and the emblem of the Kanifing Municipality to Youssou, Mayor Colley said the Senegalese is a musician of exemplary character who has taken enormous strides in fostering Professor Dr Alhaji Yahya AJJ Jammeh's call for African integration and the promotion of culture.

He said Youssou's music transcends mere entertainment to building a platform of peace and mutuality between the people of Africa and the wider world. Youssou Ndour, in his remarks, said he was deeply touched by the honour and considers it one of the most pleasant of all awards ever given to him. 

He said The Gambia is a country with great potential and that the people should support the leadership in realising those potentials. He said municipal authorities  have a big role to play in transforming the lives of the citizens and the promotion of local culture, and he expressed resolve to partner with the KMC in establishing a cultural centre in the Municipality.

The Public Affairs manager of KMC, Pa Kalifa Sanyang, Alhaji Mustapha Saine, administrative officer for Religion and Culture at the Council and Gibi Bah, Youssou Ndour's long standing pal in The Gambia, also spoke at the occasion. Youssou Ndour, in the meantime, has accepted an invitation by the Lord Mayor to return to Banjul for the celebration of the award on a date to be announced in due course.