African icon Miriam Makeba dies
South African icon Miriam Makeba dies
Born into Apartheid in Johannesburg on March 4th 1932, Miriam became a leading symbol in the fight to free her country from oppression.
Banned from her homeland in 1960 she testified against Apartheid at the United Nations in 1963 and became the first African woman to win a Grammy in 1966.
Only in 1990 did she finally return to South Africa at the personal request of Nelson Mandela.
Mixing jazz with traditional South African music she made a huge impact on the music industry and no-one compares to her. Makeba was popular across the world, working with various artists through her career, notably Paul Simon on his Graceland album.
"You sing about those things that surround you," she said. "Our surrounding has always been that of suffering from apartheid and the racism that exists in our country. So our music has to be affected by all that."
A powerful woman’s voice that will sing no more, silenced but still heard in her many recordings.
It isn’t a noise, it’s my language.
It’s a youtube, go listen.
A personal favourite, always makes me quite emotional. N’Kosi Sikileli Africa.
