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
A Piece of Ground
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He looked and he said, this is God's own country
He was mighty well pleased with this land that he'd found
And he said I will make here my own piece of ground
Now many is the battle he still had to fight
And many is the family who died in the night
As many is the black men who lived all around
Then one fine day in 1883
Gold was discovered in good quantity
Now the country was rich and was richer than planned
And each digger wanted his own piece of land
White diggers were few and the gold was so deep
Black man was called 'cause his labor was cheap
With cruel and shovel he toiled underground
Six pennies a day to tender the ground
Now this land is so rich and it seems strange to me
That the black man whose labor has helped it to be
Cannot enjoy the fruits that abound
He's uprooted and kicked from his own piece of land
While some people say now don't you worry
We'll get you a nice piece of reserve territory
But I'll give my life that ten million can be found
On a miserable thirty per cent of the ground
Yes, some people say now don't you worry
You can always find jobs in the white man's city
But don't stay too long and don't stay too deep
For you're bound to disturb the white man in his sleep
White man don't sleep long and don't sleep too deep
For your life and possessions, how long will you keep?
Cause I've heard a rumor that's running around
For the black man's demanding
His own piece of ground
His own piece of ground
His own piece of ground
His own piece of ground
His own piece of ground
Miriam Makeba's “A Piece Of Ground” is a striking commentary on the treatment of Black people in South Africa under Apartheid. The song begins with Makeba describing the arrival of the white man in South Africa, and his desire to claim it as his own "God's own country". Upon discovering gold, white diggers enlisted cheap Black labor to extract the resource from beneath the ground. Despite their contribution to the riches brought to the country, Black people were denied the right to own land or reap the benefits of their labor. The song emphasizes the struggle of Black people for their own “piece of ground”, their own slice of the prosperity that they helped build.
The lyrics use a range of powerful metaphors to draw a picture of the injustice: “cruel shovel”, “uprooted and kicked”, “bound to disturb the white man in his sleep”. The song also calls into question the notion of a "fair share" through the lyrics "But I'll give my life that ten million can be found on a miserable thirty per cent of the ground". The song's ultimate message is that Black people have the right to their own piece of ground, where they can live and work freely, without fear of displacement or exploitation.
Line by Line Meaning
When the white man first came here from over the seas
When Europeans first arrived in Africa from overseas
He looked and he said, this is God's own country
They claimed the land was a divine gift for them
He was mighty well pleased with this land that he'd found
They were content with the land they found because of its resources
And he said I will make here my own piece of ground
They decided to settle and claim the land as their own
Now many is the battle he still had to fight
They faced resistance from the native African people
And many is the family who died in the night
Many innocent lives were lost in the struggle for land
As many is the black men who lived all around
There were many African people who lived on the land which was being taken by Europeans
All of them wanting their own piece of ground
African people were also fighting to keep their land Gfrom being taken away
Then one fine day in 1883
In 1883, gold was discovered in the country
Gold was discovered in good quantity
The discovery helped to make the country even richer
Now the country was rich and was richer than planned
The country became more prosperous with the discovery of gold than anyone had anticipated
And each digger wanted his own piece of land
Everyone who came to the country was looking to claim their piece of the wealth
White diggers were few and the gold was so deep
Since there were not enough white people to dig for the gold, cheaper black labor was used
Black man was called 'cause his labor was cheap
Black people were used for their cheap labor because they were considered inferior
With cruel and shovel he toiled underground
Black people were subjected to harsh and grueling working conditions in the mines
Six pennies a day to tender the ground
Their pay was very low and did not reflect the wealth being generated
Now this land is so rich and it seems strange to me
It is ironic that the land is so rich but those who did the labor are not enjoying its benefits
That the black man whose labor has helped it to be
Black people played a significant role in building the wealth of the country, but were not allowed to reap the rewards
Cannot enjoy the fruits that abound
They are unable to share in the wealth and prosperity of the country
He's uprooted and kicked from his own piece of land
Black people were forcibly removed from their ancestral land making them lose their identity and the sense of belonging that comes with place
While some people say now don't you worry
Some people tried to assure black people that they would be given a reservation land to live on
We'll get you a nice piece of reserve territory
African people were given reservation lands, but had to live in uncertain conditions and without proper resources
But I'll give my life that ten million can be found
The singer of the song would sacrifice their life for ten million black people to be given their own piece of land
On a miserable thirty per cent of the ground
However, they believed this was insufficient compensation, as they should be able to have control over the land they live on
Yes, some people say now don't you worry
Some people also suggested that black people should move to the cities to find jobs
You can always find jobs in the white man's city
This advice was flawed as black people often faced discrimination in the job market
But don't stay too long and don't stay too deep
Despite this, black people were urged to be cautious of overstepping their boundaries and making white people uncomfortable
For you're bound to disturb the white man in his sleep
They were warned that resistance could lead to violence from white people
White man don't sleep long and don't sleep too deep
White people should not be complacent as their possession of black people's land is riding on turbulent waters
For your life and possessions, how long will you keep?
They were warned of an uncertain future given the violent past
Cause I've heard a rumor that's running around
The singer has heard a rumor swarming around
For the black man's demanding
Black people are making demands for their own land
His own piece of ground
Everyone should be entitled to land and the benefits that come from it
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ReneeBlacknBluesOmnimusic
Best song of Miriam Makeba, only song that gives me goosebumps, still, after almost half a century
@isabelg1729
me too! It has stuck to my my mind and heart after all these years.
@sabrinawilliams3854
12 years later and like yesterday
Your work lives forever ♥️🙏🏾
@ronaldjoe7896
i just love this lady listening to her always bring a tear to my eyes,
@daleonard1914
Perfect sentiment........love this song from the first time I heard it while in College in the early 1960's.....
@kikiboharris1010
Awww yeah! My mom had this in vinyl in my childhood. Definitely a song she played for us. LOVE this SONG!
@isabelg1729
This is the history of South Africa in one song as mahomednm says. I think the universality of the message in this song is what makes it so great! It pinpoints Apartheid, one of the most desperate situations the world has known but isn't it also the song of the majority of the people of the world through time, irregardless of country, including now? We need to continue this movement of equality and justice in the world and not stop until it is achieved.
@bubu345
Australia is worse
@nubiankenpo
Salute and Thank You for this.
@mahomednm
the history of south Africa in one song. what insight by the writer of this song. friend of mine had her album which was banned in SA.