Zenzile Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), also known as Mama Africa, was beyond dispute one of South Africa's true legends. Born March 4, 1932 in Johannesburg, Miriam Makeba was barely 21 years old when she, as a member of the Manhattan Brothers, reached for the stars in her home country. It didn't take long before Miriam Makeba's career was brought to another level. In 1966 she received a Grammy Award for the album An Evening with Harry Belafonte & Miriam Makeba, making her the first African artist to win a Grammy. Read Full BioZenzile Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), also known as Mama Africa, was beyond dispute one of South Africa's true legends. Born March 4, 1932 in Johannesburg, Miriam Makeba was barely 21 years old when she, as a member of the Manhattan Brothers, reached for the stars in her home country. It didn't take long before Miriam Makeba's career was brought to another level. In 1966 she received a Grammy Award for the album An Evening with Harry Belafonte & Miriam Makeba, making her the first African artist to win a Grammy. Her star rose further when she released her 1967 globally acclaimed Pata Pata, including the worldwide hit "Qongqothwane" (better known as the 'Click Song'). Shortly thereafter she published her autobiography .
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
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
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Pata Pata
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPata Pata)
Saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPata Pata)
Saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPata Pata)
Saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPata Pata)
Hay yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Pata Pata yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Pata Pata yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Pata Pata yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Helele saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPhata Phata)
Hayi ke saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPhata Phata)
Hayi ke aguquka sathi bheka bo (Nants'iPhata Phata)
Hayi ke saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPhata Phata)
Hay yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Pata Pata yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Pata Pata yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Pata Pata yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Pata Pata is the name of a dance
We do down Johannesburg way.
Everybody starts to move
As soon as Pata Pata begins to play
Hayi saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPata Pata)
Hayi ke saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPata Pata)
Hayi ke saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPata Pata)
Hayi saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPata Pata)
Hay ke yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Pata Pata yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
IPata Pata yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Pata Pata yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Every Fridays and Saturday nights (Iyo Pata Pata)
It's Pata Pata time (Nants'iPata Pata)
The music keeps going all night long (Iyo Pata Pata)
Till the morning sun begins to shine (Nants'iPata Pata)
Hayi saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPata Pata)
Saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPata Pata)
Saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPata Pata)
Saguquka sathi bheka (Nants'iPata Pata)
Hay ke yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Pata Pata yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Pata Pata yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Pata Pata yiyo mama yiyo mama (Nants'iPata Pata)
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Miriam Makeba, Jerry Ragovoy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
Lois C Fuller
In the Caribbean, I was raised on this music, it made me cry. I just found it again. Love it!
ahmed yassine Hamdi
Balma
Richie B
Caribbean beat by a south African musical genius
NONKULULEKO MASANGO
Wow wooo Wow amazing amazing bored what for everyone to do so to speak everybody’s brother-in-law DJ Khaled
rere nomad
@Fey Rol thats what i said, harry only liked white women in that way. although i dont know if miriam legally married kwame.
rere nomad
@Luc Reinette south africa.
Olaf Crocker
I was 15 the first time I heard this great piece of music. I'm 68 now. Still enjoying it.
Ernst-Dietmar Horstmann
Colours and races ? I don't care. We are all equal. The Lord created us all. And here something from the American Constitution:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
Always remember this ! It is the first act of freedom in human history.
Best wishes from the free and hanseatic City of Hamburg/Germany
Claire Lasboubou
@Stephen Levant 3m0
Claire Lasboubou
@Stephen Levant immp7053i