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E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
So Long, Mama Africa
With so much going on in our own backyard this week, it's been easy to miss news that hasn't made it to the front pages. Such a story was the passing of South African singer Miriam Makeba, affectionately known to her legions of fans as "Mama Africa."
The Grammy-winning musician was 76 years old, and she spent her final days in Italy, where she was scheduled to perform in a benefit concert. This weekend, as her body arrived back in her native country, South Africa observed two days of mourning for one of its most beloved cultural icons. Thousands flocked to a memorial service this weekend to honour Makeba's legacy, including former South African President Thabo Mbeki and jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela, who at one time was Makeba's husband.
Makeba's life was one marked with great accomplishment. Alongside Harry Belafonte in 1966, she became the first African woman to receive a Grammy for her collaboration on the anti-apartheid album “An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba.” She also performed at the historic “Rumble in the Jungle” fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in Zaire. When Paul Simon toured his African-inspired Graceland album, Makeba was there, too.
An outspoken critic of the South African apartheid, Makeba was exiled from her homeland for more than 30 years, from 1960 to the early 1990's, when the country held its first democratic elections. Throughout that period, she lent her voice and name to numerous international protests, including films like Come Back, Africa and Sarafina!
Makeba suffered a heart attack as she finished her performance at the concert in Italy, collapsing on the stage at the end of “Pata Pata.” According to the BBC, South African leader Nelson Mandela expressed that is was “fitting that her last moments were spent on a stage, enriching the hearts and lives of others—and again in support of a good cause.”
Miriam Makeba's departure will be felt not just in the homeland she loved so much, but everywhere music from the soul is appreciated.