Ibrahim Maiga, also known as Ibi Maiga, born in Mali

Mali

Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...

 in 1963 or 1964, is a non-ethnic Slovak

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 singer, actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

, comedian

Comedian

A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...

 and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

. The BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 describes him as "celebrity in Slovakia".

He moved to what was then Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

 in the late 1980s, as a student, and subsequently obtained Slovak citizenship. He "quickly bec[ame] famous as a singer and actor". The BBC describes him as "a well-known figure" through his "infectious humour and songs about his homeland Mali".

He stood as a candidate for the European Parliament

European Parliament

The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

 at the 2009 elections

European Parliament election, 2009 (Slovakia)

The European Parliament election of 2009 in Slovakia was the election of the delegation from Slovakia to the European Parliament in 2009.The turnout, although increased compared to the previous election, was 19.63%, the lowest of any nation involved in the election.-Division of Seats:The system of...

, representing the Party of the Democratic Left

Party of the Democratic Left (Slovakia)

The Party of the Democratic Left was a social-democratic political party in Slovakia from 1990 to 2004.It was founded in 1990, out of the Communist Party of Slovakia....

 (SDL). As a pro-European, he has stated: "Particularly now, in a time of crisis, we see how important the European Union is. Without its existence, several States might have suffered collapse". Explaining his choice to run for the European Parliament, he also stated: "I really want to fight this election just to show Europe that Slovakia has a great future in Europe. If I'm elected and for the first time in history a black man represents Slovakia that's going to be obvious to all of Europe."

Maiga speaks six languages.

External links

• "Ibi Maiga chce byť ako Obama!", DNES, May 25, 2008. Interview of Ibi Maiga (in Slovak).