Fertilehealthy

I am saddened to hear about the death of the grande dame of South African music, Miriam Makeba at the age of 76. For decades she has been affectionately known as Mama Afrika.

Her professional career began in the 1950’s and in 1959 she teamed up with Harry Belafonte, who assisted her in gaining entry to and fame in the United States. She released many of her famous hits there, including Pata Pata and The Click Song. In 1966 Makeba received the Grammy Award for Best Folk Recording together with Harry Belafonte.

Because of her very vocal attacks on apartheid (even testifying before the UN) the South African government revoked Makeba’s passport and she spent the next 27 years in exile. Nelson Mandela persuaded her to return to South Africa in 1990. Since 2005 she has been holding concerts in all the countries and cities that she’s lived as part of her farewell tour. She died in the early hours of this morning in Italy from a heart attack.

She will be greatly missed and remembered with fondness.

I leave you with two songs. The first is arguably her greatest hit - The Click Song (Qongqothwane) - a song even a white South African girl who grew up under apartheid, knew as a child, although of course I couldn’t hope to pronounce it!

The second - from Paul Simon - is one of my All Time Top 10 songs and I love this version with Miriam Makeba, where some of the lyrics were changed to tell her story