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
Chove-Chuva
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chove sem parar
Chove chuva
Chove sem parar
Pois eu vou fazer uma prece
P'rá Deus, nosso Senhor
P'rá chuva parar
Que é muito lindo
É mais que o infinito
É puro e belo
Inocente como a flôr
Por favor, chuva ruim
Não molhe mais
O meu amor assim
Por favor, chuva ruim
Não molhe mais
O meu amor assim
Chove Chuva
Chove sem parar
Chove Chuva
Chove sem parar
Pois eu vou fazer uma prece
P'rá Deus, nosso Senhor
P'rá chuva parar
De molhar o meu divino amor
Que é muito lindo
É mais que o infinito
É puro e belo
Inocente como a flôr
Por favor, chuva ruim
Não molhe mais
O meu amor assim
Chove Chuva
Chove sem parar
Chove Chuva
Chove sem parar
Miriam Makeba's song "Chove-Chuva" is a plea to God to make the rain stop so that it doesn't dampen her love. The lyrics are a repetition of the phrase "Chove Chuva," which means "Rain is falling" in Portuguese. She then asks God to intervene and stop the rain because it is affecting her love.
Makeba refers to her love as "divino amor," which means divine love. She considers her love to be very beautiful and more profound than anything else. It's pure, innocent, and as delicate as a flower. She doesn't want the rain to harm her love.
The repetition of the phrase "Por favor, chuva ruim, não molhe mais o meu amor assim," which means "Please, bad rain, don't dampen my love anymore," underscores the singer's desperation. She's pouring out her feelings in the hope that they will come to God's attention and that he will make the rain stop.
Overall, Miriam Makeba's "Chove-Chuva" is a plaintive and poetic appeal, asking for help to preserve something beautiful and pure. Through the words of the song, she makes a passionate plea to God to stop the rain and preserve her divino amor.
Line by Line Meaning
Chove chuva
It is raining heavily
Chove sem parar
It is raining without stopping
Pois eu vou fazer uma prece
So I am going to pray
P'rá Deus, nosso Senhor
To God, our Lord
P'rá chuva parar
To make the rain stop
De molhar o meu divino amor
From getting my divine love wet
Que é muito lindo
Who is very beautiful
É mais que o infinito
Who is more than infinity
É puro e belo
Who is pure and beautiful
Inocente como a flôr
Innocent like a flower
Por favor, chuva ruim
Please, bad rain
Não molhe mais
Don't make wet
O meu amor assim
My love like this
Chove Chuva
It is raining heavily
Chove sem parar
It is raining without stopping
Chove Chuva
It is raining heavily
Chove sem parar
It is raining without stopping
Writer(s): Jorge Ben
Contributed by Eva T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
I Am Rod
Que dinâmica e que modulação vocal!!!
José Roberto Barbieri
Modulaçao audaciosa aos 2:02. Achei até que ela tinha saído do tom, mas a subida de tonalidade foi precisa. Maravilhosa!
derlan correia
Que linda canção, ficou esplêndida na voz de Miriam Makeba. Parabéns
Arthur Ramm Sachet
She speaks a surprisingly good Portuguese. She missed some of our phonemes, but got the right stress for every word.
Fabio
She managed to pronounce "LH" which is impressive.
Anderson Lopes
É lindo demais!!!!! É emocionante ver a parceria dela com Sivuca! <3
Paulo Costa
Que voz, que a arte da musica é um casamento no céu entre quem escreve e quem canta. Se os dois forem abencoados de Deus, nao importa a lingua tudo sera sempre extraordinariamente divino.
Buonasera Catuxa
Maravilhosa! Que cantora, que mulher...
Elder Fernandes
Wow, never imagined she sang in Portuguese!!! Perfect 😍
Ludes Vitor
Arraso!! Makemba cantando nosso Bem jor¡