Miriam Makeba
Encyclopedia
Miriam Makeba nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award
winning South African singer and civil rights activist
.
In the 1960s she was the first artist from Africa to popularize African music in the U.S. and around the world. She is best known for the song "Pata Pata
", first recorded in 1957 and released in the U.S. in 1967. She recorded and toured with many popular artists, such as Harry Belafonte
, Paul Simon
, and her former husband Hugh Masekela
.
She actively campaigned against the South African system of apartheid. As a result, the South African government revoked her citizenship and right of return. After the end of apartheid she returned home. She died on 10 November 2008 after performing in a concert organized to support writer Roberto Saviano
in his stand against the Camorra
, a mafia-like organisation local to the Region of Campania.
in 1932. Her mother was a Swazi sangoma
(traditional healer-herbalist). Her father, who died when she was six years old, was a Xhosa. When she was eighteen days old, her mother was arrested for selling umqombothi
, an African homemade beer brewed from malt and cornmeal. Her mother was sentenced to a six-month prison term, so Miriam spent her first six months of life in jail. As a child, she sang in the choir of the Kilmerton Training Institute in Pretoria
, a primary school that she attended for eight years.
Her professional career began in the 1950s when she was featured in the South African jazz group the Manhattan Brothers
, and appeared for the first time on a poster. She left the Manhattan Brothers to record with her all-woman group, The Skylarks, singing a blend of jazz and traditional melodies of South Africa. As early as 1956, she released the single "Pata Pata
". The single was played on all the radio stations and made her known throughout South Africa. Although she was a successful recording artist, she only received a few dollars for each recording session and no provisional royalties, and was keen to leave home.
Her break came in 1959 when she had a short guest appearance in Come Back, Africa
, an anti-apartheid documentary produced and directed by American independent filmmaker Lionel Rogosin
. The short cameo
made an enormous impression on the viewers and Lionel Rogosin
managed to organise a visa for her to attend the première
of the film at the twenty-fourth Venice Film Festival
in Italy, where the film won the prestigious Critics' Award. That year, Makeba sang the lead female role in the Broadway-inspired South African musical King Kong
, alongside her future husband, Hugh Masekela
. She made her US debut on 1 November 1959, on The Steve Allen Show
.
, who assisted her in gaining entry to the United States and achieving fame there. When she tried to return to South Africa in 1960 for her mother's funeral, she discovered that her South African passport had been cancelled. She signed with RCA Records
and released Miriam Makeba, her first U.S. studio album, in 1960. In 1962, Makeba and Belafonte sang at John F. Kennedy
's birthday party at Madison Square Garden
, but Makeba did not go to the aftershow party because she was ill. President Kennedy insisted on meeting her, so Belafonte sent a car to pick her up and she met the President of the United States. In 1963, Makeba released her second studio album for RCA, The World of Miriam Makeba. The album, an early example of world music
, peaked at number eighty-six on the Billboard 200
. Later that year, after testifying against apartheid before the United Nations, her South African citizenship and her right to return to the country were revoked. She was a woman without a country, but the world came to her aid, and Guinea
, Belgium and Ghana
issued her international passports, and she became, in effect, a citizen of the world. In her life, she had nine passports, and was granted honorary citizenship in ten countries.
In 1966 Makeba received the Grammy Award
for Best Folk Recording
together with Harry Belafonte for An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba
. The album dealt with the political plight of black South Africans under apartheid, and it was one of the first American albums to present traditional Zulu, Sotho and Swahili songs in an authentic setting. From the time of her New York debut at the Village Vanguard
, her fame and reputation grew. She released many of her most famous hits in the United States, including "The Click Song" ("Qongqothwane" in Xhosa
) and "Malaika
". Time
called her the "most exciting new singing talent to appear in many years," and Newsweek
compared her voice to "the smoky tones and delicate phrasing" of Ella Fitzgerald
and the "intimate warmth" of Frank Sinatra
. Despite the success that made her a star in the U.S., she wore no makeup and refused to curl her hair for shows, thus establishing a style that would come to be known internationally as the "Afro look". In 1967, more than ten years after she wrote the song, the single "Pata Pata
" was released in the United States and became a worldwide hit.
Her marriage to Trinidad
-born civil rights activist, Black Panther
, and Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee leader Stokely Carmichael
in 1968 caused controversy in the United States, and her record deals and tours were cancelled. As a result, the couple moved to Guinea
, her home for the next 15 years, where they became close with President Ahmed Sékou Touré
and his wife, Andrée. Makeba was appointed Guinea's official delegate to the United Nations, for which she won the Dag Hammarskjöld
Peace Prize in 1986. She also separated from Carmichael in 1973 and continued to perform primarily in Africa, Europe and Asia, but not in the United States, where a de facto boycott was in effect. Makeba was one of the entertainers at the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle match between Muhammad Ali
and George Foreman
held in Zaïre
. She addressed the United Nations General Assembly
for the second time in 1975.
After the death of her only daughter Bongi Makeba
in 1985, she decided to move to Brussels
. In the following year, Hugh Masekela
introduced Makeba to Paul Simon
, and a few months later she embarked on the very successful Graceland Tour
, which was documented on music video. Two concerts held in Harare
, Zimbabwe, were filmed in 1987 for release as Graceland: The African Concert. After touring the world with Simon, Warner Bros. Records
signed Makeba and she released Sangoma ("Healer"), an a cappella
album of healing chants named in honour of her mother who was an "isangoma" ("a healer"). Shortly thereafter her autobiography Makeba: My Story was published and subsequently translated from English into other languages including German, French, Dutch, Italian and Spanish. She took part in the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute
, a popular-music concert staged on 11 June 1988 at Wembley Stadium, London, and broadcast to 67 countries and an audience of 600 million. Also referred to as Freedomfest, Free Nelson Mandela Concert, and Mandela Day, the event called for Mandela's release.
Frederik Willem de Klerk
reversed the ban on the African National Congress
and other anti-apartheid organisations, and announced that Nelson Mandela
would shortly be released from prison. Mandela, who was effectively released from Victor Verster Prison
in Paarl
on 11 February 1990, persuaded Miriam Makeba to return to South Africa. She returned home on 10 June 1990, on her French passport.
In 1991, Makeba, with Dizzy Gillespie
, Nina Simone
and Masekela
, recorded and released her studio album, Eyes on Tomorrow
. The album combined jazz, R&B, pop, and African music, and was a hit in Africa. Makeba and Gillespie then toured the world together to promote it. In November of the same year, she made a guest appearance in the episode "Olivia Comes Out of the Closet" of The Cosby Show
. In 1992 she starred in the film Sarafina!
. The film's plot centers on students involved in the 1976's Soweto youth uprisings, and Makeba portrayed the title character's mother, "Angelina". The following year she released Sing Me a Song.
On 16 October 1999, Miriam Makeba was nominated Goodwill Ambassador
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO). In January 2000, her album, Homeland
, produced by Cedric Samson and Michael Levinsohn
for the New York City based record label
Putumayo World Music
, was nominated for a Grammy Award
in the Best World Music Album
category. She worked closely with Graça Machel-Mandela
, who at the time was the South African first lady, for children suffering from HIV/AIDS
, child soldiers
, and the physically handicapped
.
In 2001 she was awarded the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold
by the United Nations Association of Germany
(DGVN) in Berlin, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding". She shared the Polar Music Prize
with Sofia Gubaidulina
. The prize is regarded as Sweden
's foremost musical honour. They received their Prize from Carl XVI Gustaf
King of Sweden during a nationally-televised ceremony at Berwaldhallen
, Stockholm, on 27 May 2002. She also took part in the 2002 documentary Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony
where she and others recalled the struggles of black South Africans against the injustices of apartheid through the use of music. In 2004, Makeba was voted 38th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. Makeba started a worldwide farewell tour in 2005, holding concerts in all of those countries that she had visited during her working life.
in his stand against the Camorra
, a mafia-like organisation local to the Region of Campania. The concert was being held in Castel Volturno
, near Caserta
, Italy. Makeba suffered a heart attack after singing her hit song "Pata Pata", and was taken to the "Pineta Grande" clinic where doctors were unable to revive her. Her publicist notes that Makeba had suffered "severe arthritis" for some time. She and family members were based in Northriding, Gauteng, at the time of her passing.
On 25, 26 and 27 September 2009, a tribute show to Makeba entitled "Hommage à Miriam Makeba" and curated by Grammy Award
-winning Benin
oise singer-songwriter and activist Angélique Kidjo
for the Festival d'Ile de France, was held at the Cirque d'hiver
in Paris. The same show but with the English title of "Mama Africa: Celebrating Miriam Makeba" was held at the Barbican
in London on 21 November 2009.
Related articles:
Journals and magazines
Web
|url=http://www.polarmusicprize.org/miriam-makeba/ |title=Miriam Makeba |publisher=Polar Music Prize |date=27 May 2002 |accessdate=14 November 2010 }}
Related articles:
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning South African singer and civil rights activist
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
.
In the 1960s she was the first artist from Africa to popularize African music in the U.S. and around the world. She is best known for the song "Pata Pata
Pata Pata
"Pata Pata" is a song by South African singer Miriam Makeba. The song was written by fellow southern African artist Dorothy Masuka and first released by Makeba in 1957 when she still lived in South Africa. The song was released in the United States in 1967 for her studio album of the same name...
", first recorded in 1957 and released in the U.S. in 1967. She recorded and toured with many popular artists, such as Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
, Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, and her former husband Hugh Masekela
Hugh Masekela
Hugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...
.
She actively campaigned against the South African system of apartheid. As a result, the South African government revoked her citizenship and right of return. After the end of apartheid she returned home. She died on 10 November 2008 after performing in a concert organized to support writer Roberto Saviano
Roberto Saviano
Roberto Saviano is an Italian writer and journalist.In his writings, articles, television programs, and books he employs prose and news-reporting style to narrate the story of the Camorra , exposing its territory and business connections.Since 2006, following the publication of his bestselling...
in his stand against the Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
, a mafia-like organisation local to the Region of Campania.
Early years
Zenzile Miriam Makeba was born in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
in 1932. Her mother was a Swazi sangoma
Sangoma
A sangoma is a practitioner of herbal medicine, divination and counselling in traditional Nguni societies of Southern Africa .The philosophy is based on a belief in ancestral spirits...
(traditional healer-herbalist). Her father, who died when she was six years old, was a Xhosa. When she was eighteen days old, her mother was arrested for selling umqombothi
Umqombothi
Umqombothi, from the Xhosa language, is a beer made from maize , maize malt, sorghum malt, yeast and water. It is commonly found in South Africa. It is very rich in Vitamin B. The beer has a heavy and distinctly sour aroma. The beer does not have a very high alcohol content, usually less than...
, an African homemade beer brewed from malt and cornmeal. Her mother was sentenced to a six-month prison term, so Miriam spent her first six months of life in jail. As a child, she sang in the choir of the Kilmerton Training Institute in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, a primary school that she attended for eight years.
Her professional career began in the 1950s when she was featured in the South African jazz group the Manhattan Brothers
Manhattan Brothers
The Manhattan Brothers was a popular South African music group in the 1940s and 1950s, during the Apartheid Era. Their sound drew on American ragtime, jive, swing, doo-wop, and several other jazz strains, as well as African choral and Zulu harmonies...
, and appeared for the first time on a poster. She left the Manhattan Brothers to record with her all-woman group, The Skylarks, singing a blend of jazz and traditional melodies of South Africa. As early as 1956, she released the single "Pata Pata
Pata Pata
"Pata Pata" is a song by South African singer Miriam Makeba. The song was written by fellow southern African artist Dorothy Masuka and first released by Makeba in 1957 when she still lived in South Africa. The song was released in the United States in 1967 for her studio album of the same name...
". The single was played on all the radio stations and made her known throughout South Africa. Although she was a successful recording artist, she only received a few dollars for each recording session and no provisional royalties, and was keen to leave home.
Her break came in 1959 when she had a short guest appearance in Come Back, Africa
Come Back, Africa
Come Back, Africa is the second feature-length film written, produced, and directed by American independent filmmaker Lionel Rogosin. The film had a profound effect on African Cinema, and remains of great historical and cultural importance as a document preserving the unique heritage of the...
, an anti-apartheid documentary produced and directed by American independent filmmaker Lionel Rogosin
Lionel Rogosin
Lionel Rogosin was a maverick independent American filmmaker who helped pioneer a form of non-fiction filmmaking influenced by the traditions of Robert Flaherty and Italian neorealism.-Early life:...
. The short cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
made an enormous impression on the viewers and Lionel Rogosin
Lionel Rogosin
Lionel Rogosin was a maverick independent American filmmaker who helped pioneer a form of non-fiction filmmaking influenced by the traditions of Robert Flaherty and Italian neorealism.-Early life:...
managed to organise a visa for her to attend the première
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
of the film at the twenty-fourth Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
in Italy, where the film won the prestigious Critics' Award. That year, Makeba sang the lead female role in the Broadway-inspired South African musical King Kong
King Kong (musical)
King Kong was a South African jazz-influenced musical, billed at the time as 'an African jazz opera'.The music and some of the lyrics were written by Todd Matshikiza. The lyrics were by Pat Willams and the book by Harry Bloom...
, alongside her future husband, Hugh Masekela
Hugh Masekela
Hugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...
. She made her US debut on 1 November 1959, on The Steve Allen Show
The Steve Allen Show
The Steve Allen Show is an American variety show hosted by Steve Allen from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC, and in first-run syndication from 1962 to 1964....
.
Exile
Makeba then travelled to London where she met Harry BelafonteHarry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
, who assisted her in gaining entry to the United States and achieving fame there. When she tried to return to South Africa in 1960 for her mother's funeral, she discovered that her South African passport had been cancelled. She signed with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
and released Miriam Makeba, her first U.S. studio album, in 1960. In 1962, Makeba and Belafonte sang at John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's birthday party at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, but Makeba did not go to the aftershow party because she was ill. President Kennedy insisted on meeting her, so Belafonte sent a car to pick her up and she met the President of the United States. In 1963, Makeba released her second studio album for RCA, The World of Miriam Makeba. The album, an early example of world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, peaked at number eighty-six on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Later that year, after testifying against apartheid before the United Nations, her South African citizenship and her right to return to the country were revoked. She was a woman without a country, but the world came to her aid, and Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, Belgium and Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
issued her international passports, and she became, in effect, a citizen of the world. In her life, she had nine passports, and was granted honorary citizenship in ten countries.
In 1966 Makeba received the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Folk Recording
Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording was awarded from 1960 to 1986. During this time the award had several minor name changes:*From 1960 to 1961 the award was known as Best Performance - Folk...
together with Harry Belafonte for An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba
An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba
An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba is a Grammy Award-winning 1965 album by Harry Belafonte and Miriam Makeba. It was the second outcome of the long lasting collaboration between Belafonte and Makeba, the first being the appearance of Makeba in the song "Just One More Dance" on Belafonte's 1960 album,...
. The album dealt with the political plight of black South Africans under apartheid, and it was one of the first American albums to present traditional Zulu, Sotho and Swahili songs in an authentic setting. From the time of her New York debut at the Village Vanguard
Village Vanguard
The Village Vanguard is a jazz club located at in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. At first, it also featured other forms of music such as folk music and beat poetry, but it switched to an all-jazz format in 1957.-History:Over 100 jazz...
, her fame and reputation grew. She released many of her most famous hits in the United States, including "The Click Song" ("Qongqothwane" in Xhosa
Xhosa language
Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said...
) and "Malaika
Malaika
Malaika, which means "angel" in Swahili , is the most famous love song in Kenyan pop music, as well as one of the most widely known Swahili songs...
". Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
called her the "most exciting new singing talent to appear in many years," and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
compared her voice to "the smoky tones and delicate phrasing" of Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
and the "intimate warmth" of Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
. Despite the success that made her a star in the U.S., she wore no makeup and refused to curl her hair for shows, thus establishing a style that would come to be known internationally as the "Afro look". In 1967, more than ten years after she wrote the song, the single "Pata Pata
Pata Pata
"Pata Pata" is a song by South African singer Miriam Makeba. The song was written by fellow southern African artist Dorothy Masuka and first released by Makeba in 1957 when she still lived in South Africa. The song was released in the United States in 1967 for her studio album of the same name...
" was released in the United States and became a worldwide hit.
Her marriage to Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
-born civil rights activist, Black Panther
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
, and Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee leader Stokely Carmichael
Stokely Carmichael
Kwame Ture , also known as Stokely Carmichael, was a Trinidadian-American black activist active in the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. He rose to prominence first as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and later as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party...
in 1968 caused controversy in the United States, and her record deals and tours were cancelled. As a result, the couple moved to Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, her home for the next 15 years, where they became close with President Ahmed Sékou Touré
Ahmed Sékou Touré
Ahmed Sékou Touré was an African political leader and President of Guinea from 1958 to his death in 1984...
and his wife, Andrée. Makeba was appointed Guinea's official delegate to the United Nations, for which she won the Dag Hammarskjöld
Dag Hammarskjöld
Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld was a Swedish diplomat, economist, and author. An early Secretary-General of the United Nations, he served from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961. He is the only person to have been awarded a posthumous Nobel Peace Prize. Hammarskjöld...
Peace Prize in 1986. She also separated from Carmichael in 1973 and continued to perform primarily in Africa, Europe and Asia, but not in the United States, where a de facto boycott was in effect. Makeba was one of the entertainers at the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle match between Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
and George Foreman
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur...
held in Zaïre
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
. She addressed the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
for the second time in 1975.
After the death of her only daughter Bongi Makeba
Bongi Makeba
Bongi Makeba was a singer/songwriter and the only child of South African singer Miriam Makeba.Makeba was born in South Africa. She recorded only one solo album: Bongi Makeba, Blow On Wind before she died of complications during childbirth in 1985, and is buried in Guinea...
in 1985, she decided to move to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. In the following year, Hugh Masekela
Hugh Masekela
Hugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...
introduced Makeba to Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, and a few months later she embarked on the very successful Graceland Tour
Graceland (album)
Graceland was Paul Simon's highest charting album in the U.S. in over a decade, reaching #3 in the national Billboard charts, receiving a certification of 5× Platinum by the RIAA and eventually selling over 14 million copies, making it Simon's most commercially successful album...
, which was documented on music video. Two concerts held in Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, Zimbabwe, were filmed in 1987 for release as Graceland: The African Concert. After touring the world with Simon, Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
signed Makeba and she released Sangoma ("Healer"), an a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
album of healing chants named in honour of her mother who was an "isangoma" ("a healer"). Shortly thereafter her autobiography Makeba: My Story was published and subsequently translated from English into other languages including German, French, Dutch, Italian and Spanish. She took part in the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute
Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute
The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute was a popular-music concert staged on June 11, 1988 at Wembley Stadium, London and broadcast to 67 countries and an audience of 600 million. It was also referred to as Freedomfest, Free Nelson Mandela Concert and Mandela Day...
, a popular-music concert staged on 11 June 1988 at Wembley Stadium, London, and broadcast to 67 countries and an audience of 600 million. Also referred to as Freedomfest, Free Nelson Mandela Concert, and Mandela Day, the event called for Mandela's release.
Return to South Africa
Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute increased pressure on the government of South Africa to release Mandela, and in 1990, State President of South AfricaState President of South Africa
State President, or Staatspresident in Afrikaans, was the title of South Africa's head of state from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1961, and Queen Elizabeth II ceased to be head of state...
Frederik Willem de Klerk
Frederik Willem de Klerk
Frederik Willem de Klerk , often known as F. W. de Klerk, is the former seventh and last State President of apartheid-era South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994...
reversed the ban on the African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
and other anti-apartheid organisations, and announced that Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
would shortly be released from prison. Mandela, who was effectively released from Victor Verster Prison
Victor Verster Prison
Drakenstein Correctional Centre is a low-security prison between Paarl and Franschhoek, on the R301 road 5km from the R45 Huguenot Road, in the valley of the Dwars River in the Western Cape of South Africa...
in Paarl
Paarl
Paarl is a town with 191,013 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa and the largest town in the Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni township, it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington...
on 11 February 1990, persuaded Miriam Makeba to return to South Africa. She returned home on 10 June 1990, on her French passport.
In 1991, Makeba, with Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
and Masekela
Hugh Masekela
Hugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...
, recorded and released her studio album, Eyes on Tomorrow
Eyes on Tomorrow
-Track listing:# "I Still Long For You" – 4:43# "Eyes on Tomorrow" – 4:05# "Don't Break My Heart" – 4:35# "Thina Sizonqoba" – 4:16# "We Speak Peace" – 5:08# "Thulasizwe/I Shall Be Released" – 3:46# "Vukani" – 5:06# "Birds" – 3:11# "Live the Future" – 5:28...
. The album combined jazz, R&B, pop, and African music, and was a hit in Africa. Makeba and Gillespie then toured the world together to promote it. In November of the same year, she made a guest appearance in the episode "Olivia Comes Out of the Closet" of The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
. In 1992 she starred in the film Sarafina!
Sarafina! (film)
Sarafina! is a 1992 South African film starring Leleti Khumalo, Whoopi Goldberg, Miriam Makeba, John Kani and Tertius Meintjies.-Plot:The plot centers on students involved in the Soweto Riots, in opposition to the implementation of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools.The character...
. The film's plot centers on students involved in the 1976's Soweto youth uprisings, and Makeba portrayed the title character's mother, "Angelina". The following year she released Sing Me a Song.
On 16 October 1999, Miriam Makeba was nominated Goodwill Ambassador
FAO Goodwill Ambassador
The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. The main purpose of the programme is to increase public awareness and to disseminate information on issues related to food security, hunger and poverty in the world...
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
of the United Nations (FAO). In January 2000, her album, Homeland
Homeland (Miriam Makeba album)
Homeland is a 2000 album by South African singer Miriam Makeba. It was released in 2000 on CD by world music label Putumayo. It includes a duet starring Makeba and Zenzi Lee in a renovated version of Makeba's trademark hit song "Pata Pata" , entitled "Pata Pata 2000"...
, produced by Cedric Samson and Michael Levinsohn
Michael Levinsohn
Michael Levinsohn is a South African entrepreneur who has successfully established a number of businesses and financed the production of some albums by notable musicians.-History:Michael Levinsohn was born on January 25, 1962 in Johannesburg, South Africa....
for the New York City based record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Putumayo World Music
Putumayo World Music
Putumayo World Music is a New York City based record label, now specialising in compilations of music from various nations, regions or musical styles which may be classified as world music.-Etymology:...
, was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in the Best World Music Album
Grammy Award for Best World Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best World Music Album was an honor presented for twelve years to recording artists for quality albums in the world music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
category. She worked closely with Graça Machel-Mandela
Graça Machel
Graça Machel, DBE is a Mozambican politician and humanitarian. She is the third wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela and the widow of Mozambican president Samora Machel...
, who at the time was the South African first lady, for children suffering from HIV/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, child soldiers
Military use of children
The military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities , or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs, and sexual slaves; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in...
, and the physically handicapped
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
.
In 2001 she was awarded the Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold
Otto Hahn Peace Medal
The Otto Hahn Peace Medal in Gold is named after the German nuclear chemist and 1944 Nobel Laureate Otto Hahn, an honorary citizen of Berlin....
by the United Nations Association of Germany
United Nations Association
The United Nations Associations are non-governmental organizations that exist in various countries to enhance the relationship between the people of a member state and the United Nations, raise public awareness of the UN and its work, promote the general goals of the UN and act as an advisory body...
(DGVN) in Berlin, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding". She shared the Polar Music Prize
Polar Music Prize
The Polar Music Prize is a Swedish international music award founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, possibly best known to be the manager of the Swedish pop group ABBA, with a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music....
with Sofia Gubaidulina
Sofia Gubaidulina
Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina, is a Russian composer of half Russian, half Tatar ethnicity.Gubaidulina's music is marked by the use of unusual instrumental combinations...
. The prize is regarded as Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's foremost musical honour. They received their Prize from Carl XVI Gustaf
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning King of Sweden since 15 September 1973, succeeding his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf because his father had predeceased him...
King of Sweden during a nationally-televised ceremony at Berwaldhallen
Berwaldhallen
Berwaldhallen is a concert hall in the Östermalm district of Stockholm, Sweden. Construction on the building began in 1976 based on a design by architects Erik Ahnborg and Sune Lindström...
, Stockholm, on 27 May 2002. She also took part in the 2002 documentary Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony
Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony
Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony is a 2002 documentary film depicting the struggles of black South Africans against the injustices of Apartheid through the use of music. The film takes its name from the Nguni word amandla, which means power.The film was Produced by Sherry Simpson Dean...
where she and others recalled the struggles of black South Africans against the injustices of apartheid through the use of music. In 2004, Makeba was voted 38th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. Makeba started a worldwide farewell tour in 2005, holding concerts in all of those countries that she had visited during her working life.
Death and legacy
On 9 November 2008, she became ill while taking part in a concert organized to support writer Roberto SavianoRoberto Saviano
Roberto Saviano is an Italian writer and journalist.In his writings, articles, television programs, and books he employs prose and news-reporting style to narrate the story of the Camorra , exposing its territory and business connections.Since 2006, following the publication of his bestselling...
in his stand against the Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
, a mafia-like organisation local to the Region of Campania. The concert was being held in Castel Volturno
Castel Volturno
Castel Volturno is a comune in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about 35 km northwest of Naples and about 35 km west of Caserta on the Volturno river.-History:...
, near Caserta
Caserta
Caserta is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial and industrial comune and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Campanian Subapennine mountain range...
, Italy. Makeba suffered a heart attack after singing her hit song "Pata Pata", and was taken to the "Pineta Grande" clinic where doctors were unable to revive her. Her publicist notes that Makeba had suffered "severe arthritis" for some time. She and family members were based in Northriding, Gauteng, at the time of her passing.
On 25, 26 and 27 September 2009, a tribute show to Makeba entitled "Hommage à Miriam Makeba" and curated by Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
oise singer-songwriter and activist Angélique Kidjo
Angélique Kidjo
Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo, commonly known as Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award–winning Beninoise singer-songwriter and activist, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva". The BBC has...
for the Festival d'Ile de France, was held at the Cirque d'hiver
Cirque d'hiver
The Cirque d'hiver , located at 110 rue Amelot , has been a prominent venue for circuses, exhibitions of dressage, musical concerts, and other events, including exhibitions of Turkish wrestling and even fashion shows...
in Paris. The same show but with the English title of "Mama Africa: Celebrating Miriam Makeba" was held at the Barbican
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
in London on 21 November 2009.
Studio albums
- The Many Voices of Miriam Makeba (1960) (LPLP recordThe LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
KappKapp RecordsKapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp . David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca Records and RCA Victor Records. Kapp licensed its records to London Records for release in the UK.In 1967, David Kapp sold his label to MCA Inc...
KL1274) - Miriam Makeba (1960) (LP RCARCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
LSP2267) - The World of Miriam Makeba (1963) (LP RCA LSP2750) #86 (USBillboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
) - The Voice of Africa (1964) (LP RCA LSP2845) #122 (US)
- Makeba Sings! (1965) (LP RCA LSP3321)
- An Evening with Belafonte/MakebaAn Evening With Belafonte/MakebaAn Evening with Belafonte/Makeba is a Grammy Award-winning 1965 album by Harry Belafonte and Miriam Makeba. It was the second outcome of the long lasting collaboration between Belafonte and Makeba, the first being the appearance of Makeba in the song "Just One More Dance" on Belafonte's 1960 album,...
(1965) (LP with Harry BelafonteHarry BelafonteHarold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
; RCA LSP3420; Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk RecordingGrammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk RecordingThe Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording was awarded from 1960 to 1986. During this time the award had several minor name changes:*From 1960 to 1961 the award was known as Best Performance - Folk...
) #85 (US) - The Magic of Makeba (1965) (LP RCA LSP3512)
- The Magnificent Miriam Makeba (1966) (LP MercuryMercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
134016) - All About Miriam (1966) (LP Mercury 134029)
- Pata Pata (1967) (LP RepriseReprise RecordsReprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
RS6274) #74 (US) - Makeba! (1968) (LP Reprise RS6310)
- Keep Me in Mind (1970) (LP Reprise RS6381)
- A Promise (1974) (LP RCA YSPL1-544)
- Miriam Makeba & Bongi (1975) (LP with Bongi MakebaBongi MakebaBongi Makeba was a singer/songwriter and the only child of South African singer Miriam Makeba.Makeba was born in South Africa. She recorded only one solo album: Bongi Makeba, Blow On Wind before she died of complications during childbirth in 1985, and is buried in Guinea...
; Guinea: Editions Syliphone Conakry SLP 48) - Country Girl (1978) (LP Sonodisc ESP165518)
- Comme une symphonie d'amourComme une symphonie d'amourComme une symphonie d'amour is a 1979 album by South African singer Miriam Makeba. The album has been published in several editions, including one by Gallo Records in 2006...
(1979) (LP Sonodisc ESP 7501) - Sangoma (1988) (CD Warner Bros.Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
25673) - WelelaWelelaWelela is a Miriam Makeba album mixed at Condulmer Recording Studios in Venice, Italy by Allan Goldberg of Phonocomp in 1989, except for "Pata Pata" which was mixed at Psycho Studio in Milan, February 1990.-Track listing:...
(1989) (CD GalloGallo Record CompanyGallo Record Company is the largest record label in Africa. It is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is owned by Avusa Limited . The current Gallo Record Company is a hybrid of two rival South African record labels between the '40s and '80s: the original Gallo Africa and G.R.C...
CDGSP3084) #6 (US) - Eyes on TomorrowEyes on Tomorrow-Track listing:# "I Still Long For You" – 4:43# "Eyes on Tomorrow" – 4:05# "Don't Break My Heart" – 4:35# "Thina Sizonqoba" – 4:16# "We Speak Peace" – 5:08# "Thulasizwe/I Shall Be Released" – 3:46# "Vukani" – 5:06# "Birds" – 3:11# "Live the Future" – 5:28...
(1991) (CD Gallo CDGSP3086) #10 (US) - Sing Me a Song (1993) (CD CDS12702)
- HomelandHomeland (Miriam Makeba album)Homeland is a 2000 album by South African singer Miriam Makeba. It was released in 2000 on CD by world music label Putumayo. It includes a duet starring Makeba and Zenzi Lee in a renovated version of Makeba's trademark hit song "Pata Pata" , entitled "Pata Pata 2000"...
(2000) (CD PutumayoPutumayo World MusicPutumayo World Music is a New York City based record label, now specialising in compilations of music from various nations, regions or musical styles which may be classified as world music.-Etymology:...
PUTU1642) - Reflecting (2004) (CD Gallo Music GWVCD-51) #12 (US)
- Makeba Forever (2006) (CD Gallo Music CDGURB-082)
Live albums
- Miriam Makeba in Concert! (1967) (LP) (RepriseReprise RecordsReprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
RS6253) #182 (USBillboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
) - Live in Tokyo (1968) (LP) (Reprise SJET8082)
- Live in Conakry: Appel a l'Afrique (1974) (LP) (Sonodisc SLP22)
- Enregistrement public au Theatre des Champs-Elysées (1977) (LP) (released on CD6508 as Pata Pata: Live in Paris in 1998)
- Live at Berns Salonger, Stockholm, Sweden, 1966 (2003) (CD) (Gallo Music GWVCD-49)
Compilations
- The Best of Miriam Makeba (LPLP recordThe LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
) Canada: RCA VictorRCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
LSP-3982, 1968 - Harry Belafonte and Miriam MakebaHarry Belafonte and Miriam MakebaHarry Belafonte and Miriam Makeba is a 1975 compilation of duets of Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte that were previously released either in Belafonte's or Makeba's discography.-Track listing:# "Malaika" - 3:12# "Into Yam" - 2:41...
(as Harry BelafonteHarry BelafonteHarold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
and Miriam Makeba) (2xLP) Camden PJL2-8042, 1975 - Miriam Makeba (LP) Italy: Record Bazaar RB 254, 1980
- The Queen of African Music (CD) Verlag Pläne 831 655-938, 1987
- AfricaAfrica (Miriam Makeba album)Africa is a collection of songs from the 1970s by South African singer Miriam Makeba. The collection was produced and released on CD by Novus Records in October 1991.-Track listing:# "Mbube"# "Nomeva"# "Olilili"# "Suliram"# "Retreat Song"...
(CD) Germany: NovusNovus RecordsNovus Records Novus Records Novus Records (later Arista Novus and RCA Novus was a United States jazz and contemporary jazz record label. It was an Arista Records imprint focused on then-contemporary jazz artists...
3155-2-N/ND 83155, 1991 - Miriam Makeba and The Skylarks: Volume 1 (as Miriam Makeba and The Skylarks; Remastered from 78/45 RPM recorded between 1956 and 1959) (CD) TELCD 2303, 1991
- Folk Songs from Africa (CD) SAAR CD 12514, 1994
- En public à Paris et Conakry (CD), 1996
- Hits and Highlights (CD), 1997
- Miriam Makeba and The Skylarks: Volume 2 (as Miriam Makeba and The Skylarks; Remastered from 78/45 RPM recorded between 1956 and 1959) (CD) TELCD 2315, 1997
- The Best of Miriam Makeba (CD) BMG, 2000
- Legend (CD) Next Music CDSL21, 2001
- Mama Africa: The Very Best of Miriam Makeba (CD), 2001
- The Guinea Years (CD/LP) STCD3017/SLP48, 2001
- Mother Africa: The Black Anthology (CD), 2002
- The Best of Miriam Makeba: The Early Years (CD) WrasseWrasse RecordsWrasse Records is a British record label. It was started in 1998 by Ian and Jo Ashbridge. Both had been involved in the music industry prior to them starting up their own company. Its offices are based in the UK, but it distributes its CDs all around the world...
WRASS 088, 2002 - The Definitive Collection (CD) UK: Wrasse WRASS 062, 2002
- Her Essential Recordings (2xCD) Manteca MANTDBL502, 2006
- Mama Afrika 1932-2008 (CD) GalloGallo Record CompanyGallo Record Company is the largest record label in Africa. It is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is owned by Avusa Limited . The current Gallo Record Company is a hybrid of two rival South African record labels between the '40s and '80s: the original Gallo Africa and G.R.C...
, 2009
Extended plays
- Makeba - Belafonte (as Miriam Makeba and Harry BelafonteHarry BelafonteHarold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
) (Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM) Germany: RCA Victor EPA 9035, 1961 - The Click Song (Vinyl, 7", EP) France: London RE 10.145, 1963
- Chants d'Afrique (Vinyl, 7") France: RCA Victor 86.374, 1964
Singles
- "Duze" (1956) (10-inch shellacShellacShellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug, on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes , which are dissolved in ethyl alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and wood finish...
78 rpm mono Gallotone GB.2062) - "Pass Office Special" (1957) (10-inch shellac 78 rpm mono Gallotone GB.2134)
- "The Click Song" / "Mbube" (1963) (7-inch vinyl London HL 9747)
- "Malaika" / "Malcolm X" (1965) (7-inch vinyl Kenya: Sonafric SYL 565)
- "Pata PataPata Pata"Pata Pata" is a song by South African singer Miriam Makeba. The song was written by fellow southern African artist Dorothy Masuka and first released by Makeba in 1957 when she still lived in South Africa. The song was released in the United States in 1967 for her studio album of the same name...
" (1967) (7-inch vinyl RepriseReprise RecordsReprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
0606) #12 (USBillboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
) - "Malayisha" (1967) (7-inch vinyl Reprise)
- "Emavungwini" (1968) (7-inch vinyl France, Spain: Reprise)
- "I Shall Be Released" / "Iphi Ndilela (Show Me the Way)" (1969) (7-inch vinyl Germany: Reprise RA 0804)
- "Pata Pata" / "Click Song Number 1" (1972) (7-inch vinyl Germany, Netherlands: Reprise REP 14 217)
- "We Got to Make It" / "Promise" (1975) 7-inch vinyl with Instrumentalgruppe German Democratic Republic: AMIGA 4 56 044, 1974, and France: Disques Espérance)
- "Pata Pata" / "Malayisha" (1976) (7-inch vinyl Italy: Reprise 14 267, released in France in 1978)
- "Hauteng" / "Talking and Dialoging" (1978) (7-inch vinyl France: Disques Espérance ESP 155027)
- "Comme une symphonie d'amour" (1979) (7-inch vinyl France: Disques Espérance ESP 65.009)
- "Give Me a Reason" / "Africa" (1989) (7-inch vinyl Italy: Philips 875 308-7)
- "Pata Pata 2000" (2000) (CD Putumayo PUTU 919-S)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1960 | Come Back, Africa Come Back, Africa Come Back, Africa is the second feature-length film written, produced, and directed by American independent filmmaker Lionel Rogosin. The film had a profound effect on African Cinema, and remains of great historical and cultural importance as a document preserving the unique heritage of the... |
Herself | Documentary on the apartheid system of official racial separation in South Africa. |
| 1968 | LBJ Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States... |
Voice | Cuban anti-imperialist satire/propaganda film directed by Santiago Álvarez Santiago Álvarez Santiago Álvarez Román was a Cuban filmmaker. He wrote and directed many documentaries about Cuban and American culture... |
| 1969 | Festival panafricain d'Alger | Miriam Makeba | |
| 1982 | Amok | Joséphine Sempala | Humgarian film directed by Souheil Ben-Barka. |
| 1991 | "Olivia Comes Out of the Closet" season 8: episode 10 of The Cosby Show The Cosby Show The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992... |
Herself | |
| 1992 | Sarafina! Sarafina! (film) Sarafina! is a 1992 South African film starring Leleti Khumalo, Whoopi Goldberg, Miriam Makeba, John Kani and Tertius Meintjies.-Plot:The plot centers on students involved in the Soweto Riots, in opposition to the implementation of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools.The character... |
Angelina | South African film directed by Darrell Roodt Darrell Roodt Darrell Roodt is a South African film director, screenwriter and producer.His film Sarafina was screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.-Awards:... |
| 1996 | When We Were Kings When We Were Kings When We Were Kings is a 1996 documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the famous Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The fight was held in Zaire on October 30, 1974.The film features a number of celebrities, including James Brown, Jim... |
Writer and performer ("Am Am Pondo") | Documentary film directed by Leon Gast Leon Gast Leon Gast is an American documentary film director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. His documentary When We Were Kings depicting the iconic heavyweight boxing match termed The Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman won the 1996 Academy Award for Documentary Feature and... about the heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist... and George Foreman George Foreman George Edward Foreman is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur... held in Zaire in 1974 |
| 1998 | Have You Seen Drum Recently? Have you seen Drum recently? Have you seen Drum recently? is a 1998 film which uses photographs from the Drum archives to tell the story of the magazine and documents its contribution to the cultural and political life of South Africa.... |
Herself | Directed by Jürgen Schadeberg Jürgen Schadeberg -Overview:Jürgen Schadeberg was born in Berlin in 1931. In 1950, he moved to South Africa to rejoin his family and joined Drum magazine as official photographer and layout artist.... |
| 2000 | Otto: Der Katastrofenfilm | Music and lyrics ("Dummasack") | German comedy film directed by Edzard Onneken |
| 2002 | Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony is a 2002 documentary film depicting the struggles of black South Africans against the injustices of Apartheid through the use of music. The film takes its name from the Nguni word amandla, which means power.The film was Produced by Sherry Simpson Dean... |
Herself | Documentary film depicting the struggles of black South Africans against the injustices of apartheid through the use of music |
| 2004 | Veronica Mars (TV series) Veronica Mars Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros... |
Pilot | |
| 2005 | Transamerica Transamerica (film) Transamerica is a 2005 independent comedy-drama film produced by IFC Films and The Weinstein Company. The film tells the story of Bree, a transsexual woman , who goes on a road trip with her long-lost son Toby .... |
Performer ("Jol'inkomo") | Directed by Duncan Tucker Duncan Tucker Duncan Tucker is an American film director and screenwriter.Tucker was born in Arizona and graduated from New York University. After the short subject film The Mountain King, which was screened at over 31 international festivals, he wrote and directed his first feature film, Transamerica. Tucker's... |
| 2006 | Bobby Bobby (2006 film) Bobby is a 2006 American drama film written and directed by Emilio Estevez. The screenplay is a fictionalized account of the hours leading up to the June 5, 1968 shooting of United States Senator from New York and former U.S. Attorney General Robert F... |
Performer ("Pata Pata Pata Pata "Pata Pata" is a song by South African singer Miriam Makeba. The song was written by fellow southern African artist Dorothy Masuka and first released by Makeba in 1957 when she still lived in South Africa. The song was released in the United States in 1967 for her studio album of the same name... ") |
American drama film directed by Emilio Estevez Emilio Estevez Emilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire... about Robert F. Kennedy Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F... |
| 2007 | Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten is a 2007 documentary film directed by Julien Temple about Joe Strummer, the lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash, that went on to win the British Independent Film Awards as Best British Documentary 2007. The film premiered 20 January 2007 at... |
Performer ("Pata Pata") | Documentary film directed by Julien Temple Julien Temple Julien Temple is an English film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including The Great Rock And Roll Swindle, Absolute Beginners and a documentary film about Glastonbury.-Temple... about Joe Strummer Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in... |
| 2008 | Soul Power Soul Power "Soul Power" is a song by James Brown. Recorded in 1971 with the original J.B.'s and released as a three-part single, it was a Top Ten R&B hit. The song also appeared on the 1972 album Soul Classics... |
Performer ("The Click Song") | Documentary film directed by Jeff Levy-Hinte Jeff Levy-Hinte Jeff Levy-Hinte is president of Antidote International Films , Inc based in New York City. Most recently he has produced The Kids Are All Right , co-written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, which won the 68th Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, and Best Performance by... about the Zaire 74 Zaire 74 Zaire 74 was a three day live music festival that took place on September 22 to 24,1974 at the 20th of May Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire... music festival |
| 2011 | Mama Africa | Herself | Documentary film directed by Mika Kaurismäki Mika Kaurismäki Mika Juhani Kaurismäki is a Finnish film director.He is the elder brother of Aki Kaurismäki, and the father of Maria Kaurismäki who graduated from Tampere School of Art and Media in 2008 with her movie Sideline.Mika Kaurismäki has lived in Brazil since approximately 1992 and has made several... about Makeba |
See also
- Culture of South AfricaCulture of South AfricaSouth Africa is known for its ethnic and cultural diversity. Therefore, there is no single culture of South Africa.The South African black majority still has a substantial number of rural inhabitants who lead largely impoverished lives...
- Music of South AfricaMusic of South AfricaThe South African music scene includes both popular and folk forms. Pop styles are based on four major sources, Zulu isicathamiya singing and harmonic mbaqanga...
- Grammy Awards of 1966Grammy Awards of 1966The 8th Grammy Awards were held March 15, 1966. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1965.-Award winners:*Record of the Year...
Sources
BooksRelated articles:
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- |last1=Schwarz-Bart |first1=Simone |last2=Schwarz-Bart |first2=André |last3=Réjous |first3=Rose-Myriam |title=Modern African Women|series=In Praise of Black Women, Volume 3|year=2003 |publisher=University of Wisconsin |location=Madison, WI |isbn=0299172708 |oclc=66731111 }}
Journals and magazines
Web
|url=http://www.polarmusicprize.org/miriam-makeba/ |title=Miriam Makeba |publisher=Polar Music Prize |date=27 May 2002 |accessdate=14 November 2010 }}
Related articles:
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- |url=http://www.allsands.com/history/people/miriammakeba_zmj_gn.htm |title=Miriam Makeba Biography |work=History – People |publisher=AllSands |accessdate=12 November 2010 }} |url= |title=Miriam Makeba Charts & Awards |publisher=Allmusic |accessdate=18 November 2010 }}
Related articles: - [ Billboard Albums]
- [ Billboard Singles]
- [ GRAMMY Awards] |url=http://www.festival-idf.fr/2009/concerts.php |format=PHP |title=Tous les concerts |language=French |trans_title=All Concerts |publisher=Festival d'Ile de France |accessdate=14 November 2010 }}
Related articles: - HOMMAGE A MIRIAM MAKEBA (1)
- HOMMAGE A MIRIAM MAKEBA (2)
- HOMMAGE A MIRIAM MAKEBA (3)
- |url=http://www.allsands.com/history/people/miriammakeba_zmj_gn.htm |title=Miriam Makeba Biography |work=History – People |publisher=AllSands |accessdate=12 November 2010 }} |url= |title=Miriam Makeba Charts & Awards |publisher=Allmusic |accessdate=18 November 2010 }}
External links
- [ Miriam Makeba] at Allmusic
- Miriam Makeba at National Public Radio