freeing nelson mandel a was the right thing to do. we did it as musicians. music has so much power that when you have a regime, a new politician that wants to take over and doesn't want to follow democracy, the first thing they cut off is art, is music. you have the pussy riot example. so we have such a power that we power. >> just going back because you actually experienced that >> this is al jazeera america. live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. the white house pledge hundreds of millions of dollars to stop an influx of migrant children coming to the united states. >>> in baghdad chia and sunni leaders calling for peace in iraq.

freeing nelson mandel a was the right thing to do. we did it as musicians. music has so much power that when you have a regime, a new politician that wants to take over and doesn't want to follow democracy, the first thing they cut off is art, is music. you have the pussy riot example. so we have such a power that we power. >> just going back because you actually experienced that firsthand when you were still in banine before you left. in fact, isn't that what forced you to seek exile. >> absolutely. >> in france? >> absolutely. >> you felt constrained, you felt that the communist regime wanted you to be a mouthpiece for the government. >> i refused because my father always used to say to us, especially to me as a singer: do not write music for any political party because they come and they go. once they are gone, you go with it. write your music with your opinion be free writing your music. don't be sold to somebody because, therefore, you don't become the voice of the people anymore. you become the voice of the power and when that power shift, you are out