Mama Africa died. The voice of the people. The song of the people. She is no more. But her music lives on. And with it… Her love for Africa and its people.
This is from one of her first songs that the world got to see. Hum… She was hot! Mama Africa singing Pata Pata.
The one song every bloody Souf Efrikan whitie knows… (And she is still hot!) Miriam Makeba singing The Click Song. (With a bit of an intro into Xhosa and politics – sorry, I had to use a new link so the politics got lost. Someone removed the original from YouTube!)
And this one has a bit of a long intro but it hits you hard when she starts singing. Man… Did I mention that she is hot! Sinead O’Connor of Africa singing Amampondo.
But in the end Mama Africa was about so much more than her music. Miriam Makeba made music. Mama Africa spoke for her people. A glimpse of what she had to say to the UN back in 1963. Being Mama Africa…
Her citizenship was revoked shortly after this. She couldn’t go back to her country. To her people. But she always fought on. Always for justice. Always for her people. The people of Africa. And her people from South Africa. From fighting for justice when she married (and later separated from) Trinidadian civil rights activist and Black Panthers leader Stokely Carmichael to receiving the UN Dag Hammerskjöld Peace Prize. She always fought for justice. Always.
But she saw her country united at last. She came back in 1990. To her home. To her people. And this song was made for her to sing. (The intro is played by Hugh Masekela. Another legend and another ex-husband of Mama Africa.)
Mama Africa never forgot about the fight for justice. Never. She didn’t die at home. She died in Castel Volturno in Italy, in the evening of 9 November 2008, of a heart attack, shortly after taking part in a concert organized to support writer Roberto Saviano in his stand against the Camorra, a mafia-like organisation. Camorra finances itself through drug trafficking, extortion, protection and racketeering. It is the oldest organized criminal organization in Italy. Mama Africa… Mama World… Mama Ubuntu… No matter where you were, she was with you in your fight for justice, freedom, liberty and equality for all.
She died just after singing Pata Pata. She died on stage.
In the words of Mama Africa, “I will sing until the last day of my life.”
So she is gone. But live on. Always.
Viva Mama Africa! Viva! Long Live Miriam Makeba! Long Live!
November 10, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Thank you for this, AA, thank you from my heart. Made my evening, touched me deeply…
November 10, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Thank you from me too. Many memories from my early days in SA flooding in… What a beautiful African soul! She was a stunningly talented woman and a soldier against the unjust.
I am so happy she died doing what she loved best. There is no better way to go.
(fyi…your second video is no longer available.)
November 10, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I heard Hugh Masekela’s music, I like jazz. I’ve probably heard her too, but never knew who she was.
I might point out to American posters that she did die on 9-11! That is how most overseas folk dates, ddmmyy instead of mmddyy lie we do.
Just wanted to point that out to avoid confusion with another, very important date.
May she rest in peace. At least she saw history in the making…
November 10, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Woop! I sincerely apologize:
She did not die on 9-11. Blew my whole point. Forgive me for that.
Again, may she rest in peace…
November 10, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Does it make you sick… these people aren’t allowed to go back to the country they are so loved in?? Breaks my heart. Condolences….
November 10, 2008 at 10:14 pm
…death will not quell this one voice. Hamba kahle Mama Africa, hambe kahle…
November 11, 2008 at 8:42 am
Angry African, why are you so angry when you write with such brutal beauty and the most sensitive touch?
Always a bit behind on the news (it makes me more homesick to read the news…) I’d heard our Miriam had died – but today I learned just how! What a homage… Thank you.
November 11, 2008 at 8:45 am
@Robert – Thanks mate. She was one hell of a Mama.
@Natalie – She was a strong woman. A just woman. A woman from Africa. And for Africa.
@Keven – Hugh was/is excellent. You should try and get Basil “Mannenberg” Coetzee. He’s from my area in South Africa. And a true jazz icon. And Dullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand). Classic Cape Town jazz.
@Amber – Yes… People were just thrown outside under Apartheid. It was worse than anyone can think. Homeless.
@mkha – True. So true. She will sing on.
November 11, 2008 at 8:49 am
@Lisa Roberts – Aah… The anger… Maybe I should write a piece about the anger. But for now we will let Mama Miriam sooth our souls. (Love you blog name by the way… Hehe!)
November 11, 2008 at 10:56 am
AA: What a beautiful tribute; sad to say that I had never heard of her, until the story of her death on NPR yesterday morning……. what a voice, singing and speaking…… full of love and soul and beauty…….
Yes, what a terrible loss, but to die in the midst of doing what you love: advocating for justice through song…..
Just beautiful!
May her beautiful soul rest in peace…..
November 11, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Nice tribute. After hearing the news first thing yesterday I kept checking back to see how’d you’d handle it. Didn’t disappoint.
November 13, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Africa morns, not a soul untouched, we morn. A beautiful tribute given by no one better than its son, thank you.
November 17, 2008 at 9:45 am
[...] week was one of sadness for the children of Africa because Mama Africa passed away. Viva Miriam Makeba! Long Live Mama Africa! She was a symbol to the nation, a symbol to Africa, hope, life and [...]
November 18, 2008 at 11:47 am
AA:
Can you fix the link to the click song?
I’d like to be able to hear it.