Miriam Makeba was a South African musician, actor and activist. Her music genres were jazz, Afropop, and world music. She effectively campaigned against the apartheid movement and the oppressive white-minority government in South Africa.
Furthermore, she was the first African artist to win a Grammy. She is regarded as “Mama Africa”.
Here Are The Major Things That Happened In The Life Of Miriam Makeba
Childhood And Family
Zenzile Miriam Makeba was born on the 4th of March 1932 in a black township near Johannesburg. She was the only child of her father but the 6th of her mother. Her father was a teacher and her mother was a domestic worker. Miriam lost her father when she was 6 years of age. Makeba said before she was given birth, her mother had been forewarned that any future pregnancy could be life-threatening. It didn’t seem like Makeba or her mother would survive the childbirth. Makeba’s grandmother habitually said the word “uzenzile” after she was given birth. This is a Xhosa word that means ” you brought this on yourself”. This prompted her to name Makeba “Zenzile”.
18 days after Makeba was given birth, her mother was arrested and handed a six-month jail term because she sold a fermented drink made from cornmeal and malt, umqombothi. As a result, Makeba spent the first 6 months of her life in prison.
When Makeba’s mother finally left prison, her father who had not seen a job got one as a clerk at the Shell Oil Company in the then Nelspruit (now called Mbombela) and life became easy for them. Unfortunately, her father’s death caused them to move in with her maternal grandmother in Riverside Township, near Pretoria. They moved in with their cousins and her mother started working with white families in Johannesburg to cater for the family.
Music Beginnings
During Makeba’s childhood, she was a chorister in the choir of the Kilnerton Training Institute in Pretoria, a Methodist Primary school she attended for 8 years. Her talent was highly recognized at her school. She sang in English, Xhosa, and Sotho. She later revealed that she initially learned to sing in the English language before she could speak it.
Her musical style was shaped by her family’s rich musical traditions. Makeba’s mother played various traditional instruments. Her elder brother had records of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald and taught Miriam songs. Her father also played the piano and was part of a music band, Mississippi 12.
Early Career
She began music professionally when she joined the Cuban Brothers, a renowned South African all-male group, where she sang covers of popular American music.
Furthermore, she joined a jazz group, called the Manhattan Brothers. She was the only female in the group. The group sang a combination of South African songs and songs from African American bands. In 1953 while in the band, she recorded her first hit with the Manhattan brothers titled “Lakutshn, Ilanga”. As a result, she earned a national reputation for the song.
In 1956, she teamed up with an all-female group, the Skylarks when the Manhattans Brothers traveled abroad. However, she later traveled to join them. When she was in the Skylarks, she made music alongside Rhodesian-born singer Dorothy Masuka, whose music had been an inspiration to Makeba.
International Success
During one of her musical performances with the Manhattan Brothers in 1955, she met Nelson Mandela. He was a young lawyer then and Mandela later recalled the meeting. The popularity of the Lakutshona Ilanga song she recorded with the Manhattan Brothers called for an English version. Makeba’s first solo success came in 1956 with the release of “Lovely Lies” by Gallotone Records, her first recording in English. The song became the first South African song to chart on the US Billboard 100. In 1957, she was on the cover of Drum Magazine.
In 1959, Makeba led the female role in the South African Jazz Opera King Kong. She also made an appearance in an anti-apartheid film, “Come Back, Africa“.
The movie was produced and directed by Lionel Rogosin, an American Independent filmmaker. Rogosin approached her after he saw her perform for 18 months in an African jazz Variety show. Her cameo in the movie was just for 4 minutes. However, her brief screen appearance made a lasting impression on viewers, which prompted Rogosin to get her a visa to attend the premiere of the movie at the 24th Venice Film Festival in Italy, where the movie won the respected Critics’ Choice Award.
Furthermore, she moved to New York and made her US music debut on the 1st of November, 1959 on The Steve Allen Show in Los Angeles. She debuted at the Village Vanguard soon after. She sang in her native Xhosa and Zulu languages and also performed a traditional Yiddish folk song.
Exile
Following the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, she received the news on the death of her mother. She tried returning home but she couldn’t because her national passport had been cancelled. She lost two of her family members in the massacre and the incident sparrked fears for her family safety, including her daughter who were still in South Africa. Her 9-year-old daughter joined Makeba in the United States shortly after.
As a result, she became an advocate against the killings. Before the massacre, she had extremely avoided making statements on political issues in South Africa.
Her career in the United States continued flourishing. She put pen to paper with RCA Victor. She released her debut album titled Miriam Makeba in 1960. RCA Victor decided to buy Makeba out of her contract with Gollatone Records. Gollatone got $45,000 which led to her not receiving any royalties for her debut album.
Despite the hit song, “Qongqothwane“, the album produced, it wasn’t commercially successful and the record label had to drop her. She was re-signed shortly after the label saw the potential the African culture had growing. In her second signing with the label, her nationality was strongly put forward unlike her first signing.
In 1962, she and Belafonte sang at the birthday party of John Kennedy, the then-American president. She released her sophomore album under RCA Victor, “The World of Miriam Makeba” in 1964. The body of work got to No. 86 on the Billboard 200.
Grammys
Makeba’s music was widely accepted in the United States. Her music had a cross-racial appeal. The Whites in the country were intrigued with her image as a fantastic performer and the Blacks could easily relate to her music because of their racial segregation.
In addition, she got a Grammy on March 15, 1966, for Best Folk Recording for An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba. She became the first African to win a Grammy. The album’s theme was the plight of black South Africans under apartheid. The album also includes several songs critical of the government in South Africa. Song such as “Ndodemnyama we Verwoerd” (“Watch our Verwoerd”), is a reference to Hendrick Verwoerd, a major proponent and enforcer of apartheid.
Furthermore, the album was accepted widely and increased Makeba’s profile in the United States.
Personal Life
In 1949, she got wedded to James Kubay, a policeman. Their union gave birth to her daughter, Bongi. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1950 and her husband who physically assaulted her left the marriage after 2 years. A decade later, she became cervical cancer free after undergoing hysterectomy.
In March 1968, she got married to Carmichael. As a result, her popularity started declining in the United States. Conservatives also referred to her as a militant and an extremist. This depleted her following in the country, as her marriage was seen as apolitical.
In addition, her shows were cancelled and she was on the negative side of the media, as she became unpopular. She stopped receiving support from White audiences in America.
As a result, she and her husband were banned from the United States on their return from the Bahamas. They moved to Guinea and Makeba didn’t return to America until 1987.
Makeba lost her daughter to childbirth in 1985 and was left with 2 grandchildren. She decided to move out of Guinea which had become hostile after the death of her husband. she fractured her leg during one of her performances at the Graceland but still continued the rest of the tour on a wheelchair.
While she was preparing for the tour, she teamed up with a journalist to an write autobiography. It was titled “Makeba”; My Story. The book encompassed her experience with apartheid and the victimization she experienced in the US. The book was written in 5 different languages.
South African Return And Death
In 1990, State President Federick Willem de Klerk overturned the ban on the African National Congress and made an announcement of the release of Nelson Mandela. Mandela was released shortly after. He convinced Makeba to return to South Africa. Makeba returned to South Africa on 10 June 1990.
On 9 November 1998, Makeba fell sick in a concert near Caserta in Italy. After performing her iconic “Pata Pata”, she suffered a heart attack and was rushed to Pineta Grande clinic for treatment, where she gave up the ghost.
Legacy
Makeba was often the symbol of Africa in the United States. She was nicknamed “Mama Africa”. Also, she was many times described as the “Empress of African Song”, the “Queen of South Africa”, and “Africa’s first superstar”.
Furthermore, she is being mentioned along with artists like Salif Keita, Ali Farka Touré, Baaba Maal, Angelique Kidjo and Youssou N’Dour, for playing a significant role in bringing world music to the mainstream.
Her impact is nearly all over South African jazz music. The Jazz musician, Abbey Lincoln is one of those whose music has Makeba’s influence. Alongside Simone, she shaped soul music. Belafonte, who worked closely with her for many years called her talent a revolutionary. In addition, Nelson Mandela called her “South Africa’s first lady of song”.
Conclusion
Her music inspires Africans to hold on to their cultural heritage and traditions and to use their talents to make a positive impact and shed light on the continent.
Despite her struggles from childhood to her health challenges to the victimization in the US to the loss of her daughter and husband, and all what she faced, Makeba never gave up. She is an icon and an inspiration to all Africans.
