Miriam Makeba used her voice to entertain, but also to give a voice to millions of oppressed fellow South Africans who suffered as a result of apartheid. The price she had to pay for her actions was high, namely her South African citizenship. After she appeared, in 1960, in the an anti-apartheid documentary Come Back, Africa, the South African regime banned her from returning to her home country and took away her citizenship.
This event didn't stop her from continuing to raise her voice against the apartheid regime. Between 1964 and 1975, as a United Nations delegate of Guinea where she was granted asylum, Miriam Makeba addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations regularly on the tragic developments in South Africa.
Meanwhile she carried on singing, a process in which she put South African music on the map. Over the years Makeba worked with artists as Joe Sample, Stix Hooper, Arthur Adams, and David T. Walker of The Crusaders. In the late 1980's she joined Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo during their world-wide Graceland tour and in 1990 she worked with Odetta and Nina Simone for the One Nation tour.
Following Nelson Mandela's release from prison, the citizen of the world Makeba returned to South Africa in December 1990; more than thirty years after she went in exile. In April 1991 she performed her first concert in her homeland in three decades.
The years after were busy ones for Makeba. She starred in the South African award-winning musical Sarafina! , about the 1976 Soweto youth uprisings, playing the role of the title character's mother. She then reunited with her first husband, trumpeter Hugh Masekela, for the Tour Of Hope. She also performed at the Vatican's Nevi Hall during the world-wide broadcasted show, Christmas In The Vatican. In 2000 Makeba released the grammy-nominated Homeland, her first studio album in a decade. In 2002 she shared the Polar Music Prize with Sofia Gubaidulina, in recognition of her exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music.
After her return to South Africa Miriam Makeba recorded over ten albums. In 2004, at the age of 72, she relased Reflections honoring the tenth anniversary of the end of apartheid in South Africa. In that same year Makeba was voted 38th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. She also started a 14 month worldwide farwell tour in 2005, holding concerts in all countries she had visited during her life.
With an impressive career spanning more than four decades Miriam Makeba is, indeed, one of the most respected, loved and cherished treasures in (South) Africa.
On the early morning of 10th of November 2008 she died at the age of 76 after being taken ill near the southern Italian town of Caserta, after performing at a concert against organized crime.
Source: Miriam Makeba, A true South African musical Legend
Discography on last.fm
External links:
Official website
Unofficial website
Movie database
The Click Song
Miriam Makeba & The Belafonte Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Igqira lendlela nguqongqothwane
Igqira lendlela nguqongqothwane
Igqira lendlela nguqongqothwane
Seleqabel'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
Selequbul'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
Seleqabel'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
Selequbul'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
Igqira lendlela hayi nguqongqothwane
Igqira lendlela kuthwa nguqongqothwane
Igqira lendlela hayi nguqongqothwane
Igqira lendlela kuthwa nguqongqothwane
Seleqabel'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
Selequbul'egqith'apha hmm nguqongqothwane
Seleqabel'egqith'apha awu nguqongqothwane
Selequbul'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
Iqaqa lambetha uqongqothwane
Egqitha ngendlela kwaqhuma uthuli
Lade lamqhawula noqhoqho
Amamaxoxo ayagxumagxuma kuzo iingxaxasi
The Click Song by Miriam Makeba is a well-known African song that reflects the Xhosa tribe culture. In the song, Makeba tells a story through the use of clicks, a unique style of African singing that originated from the Xhosa tribe. The song is about a man named Qongqothwane who is sitting on the side of the road, waiting for someone to pass by so that he can ask for directions. As he begins to click his tongue, the passersby notice his sound and begin to answer his questions with clicks too.
The repetitive use of the phrase "Igqira lendlela nguqongqothwane" implies Qongqothwane's persistence in waiting for someone to ask for directions. As the song progresses, the phrases "seleqabel'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane" and "selequbul'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane" indicate that someone has finally responded to Qongqothwane's call for help, leading him to ask for further help, leading to the other person responding with clicks. The chorus repeats repeatedly, emphasizing the story's culmination, leading to a celebration of clicks and the culture of communication through such sounds.
Line by Line Meaning
Igqira lendlela nguqongqothwane
I am walking down the road, clicking my tongue
Seleqabel'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
I want to arrive where my tongue clicks
Igqira lendlela hayi nguqongqothwane
I am not afraid to walk down this road clicking my tongue
Selequbul'egqith'apha hmm nguqongqothwane
I am happy to follow my tongue and go where it takes me
Seleqabel'egqith'apha awu nguqongqothwane
I will get there no matter what, following the clicking of my tongue
Iqaqa lambetha uqongqothwane
I am proud of the sound my tongue makes
Egqitha ngendlela kwaqhuma uthuli
As I walk down this path, I hear the silence around me
Lade lamqhawula noqhoqho
The birds sing along with me, making music together
Amamaxoxo ayagxumagxuma kuzo iingxaxasi
The trees rustle and whisper to each other, joining in on the fun
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GERO DRNEK, FIRST RENIER, JOHANNES HEINI SCHAEFER, CHRISTOF STEIN, KAI-UWE WINGENFELDER, THORSTEN WINGENFELDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind