Miriam Makeba
Mama Africa Dies While Performing
"I will sing until the day I die,"—Miriam Makeba
The first time I heard Miriam Makeba's melodic voice singing in a language that was not my native, it filled my heart with a familiarity no other music type has ever done. The song, "Pata, Pata," was revelatory, weaving me back to a place my spirit could only call home as a smile moved across my face without knowing why. This was in the early part of the 80s, a time when Makeba, whose passport for her native South Africa, had already been revoked for her outspoken thoughts against Apartheid, was living outside of the U.S. due to her marriage to Black Panther leader Stokley Carmichael. Makeba was a complex woman who was not afraid to sing from her heart, speak from mind from her heart and enter into love from the heart. It is no wonder her voice touched so many hearts across the world. See some of my favorite clips of her.
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