Miriam makeba biography history
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Biography of Miriam Makeba by Narcy Negrete
Abstract
Miriam Makeba was a South African singer, daughter, mother, and an antiapartheid activist. After she was exiled from South Africa in , she used her success to shine a light on the ugly truths of apartheid government. She utilised her voice to sing political songs and deliver two speeches at the United Nations.
Key Words
Miriam Makeba, music, Pata Pata, Soweto Blues, Graceland tour, United Nations Assembly
Introduction
Miriam Makeba was well known for her unforgettable voice, but no one can deny she played an even bigger part in the South African history. During her time in exile she became very outspoken about her stand against apartheid. She used her elevated position to address the United Nations and bring forth the issues occurring in South Africa. She demonstrated that there are different ways to fight an oppressive government; her songs and success proved to be a form of protest that the apartheid government tri
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South Africa’s world famous singer and activist Miriam Makeba () would have turned 90 on 4 March Born Zenzile Miriam Makeba in Johannesburg’s Prospect township, she had a life of remarkable global impact. She contributed to black people’s struggle for liberation and defended the integrity of African identity and artistry while living in a land absent of her ancestry.
Despite being banned from her home country for her outspokenness and resistance to apartheid, Makeba went on to build an illustrious international career, performing on some of the world’s most prestigious stages. She would be celebrated – and persecuted – in the US and invited to perform at the independence celebrations of numerous African countries before eventually returning to South Africa later in life.
In commemorating what would have been Makeba’s 90th birthday, it is fitting to pay tribute to her legacy of activism not only as a black African woman often living in exile in a western society but also as an art
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Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba was born in March 4th, in Johannesburg, during a time of economic depression. Her mother, a domestic worker, was imprisoned for six months for illegally brewing beer to help man ends meet, and Miriam went to prison with her as she was just 18 days old. She grew up in Nelspruit where her father was a clerk with Shell Oil.
Makeba’s mother was also a sangoma, or a practitioner of herbal medicine, divination and counselling in traditional Zulu, khosa, Ndebele and Swazi (Nguni) societies of Southern Africa. Her father died when she was five years old, Miriam was sent to live with her grandmother at a compound in Riverside, Pretoria. From a ung age, Makeba loved to sing at church, and performed her first solo during the Royal Visit. Miriam began her working life helping her mother clean houses. In the s, she lived in Sophiatown when it was a vibrant place and one of the few areas where all races could mix. It was the en plats där en händelse inträffar ofta inom teater eller film of kwela music, marabi an