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
Click Song No. 1
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Igqira lendlela kuthwa nguqongqothwane
Igqira lendlela heh mama ke nguqongqothwane
Igqira lendlela kuthwa nguqongqothwane
Seleqabel'egqith'apha hayi nguqongqothwane
Selequbul'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
Seleqabel'egqith'apha heh mama ke nguqongqothwane
Igqira lendlela nguqongqothwane
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 heh mama ke nguqongqothwane
Igqira lendlela kuthwa nguqongqothwane
Igqira lendlela heh mama ke nguqongqothwane
Igqira lendlela kuthwa nguqongqothwane
Seleqabel'egqith'apha heh mama ke nguqongqothwane
Selequbul'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
Seleqabel'egqith'apha heh mama ke nguqongqothwane
Seleqabel'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
Seleqabel'egqith'apha hayi nguqongqothwane
Selequbul'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
Seleqabel'egqith'apha heh mama ke nguqongqothwane
Selequbul'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
Hoya!
The lyrics to Miriam Makeba's "Click Song Number 1" are primarily in Xhosa, a language spoken in South Africa. The song is inspired by a traditional Xhosa musical style called "umngqokolo," which features the use of click sounds made by the mouth. The lyrics repeat the phrase "igqira lendlela" and "seleqabel'egqith'apha," with the addition of the word "nguqongqothwane," which is believed to be an onomatopoeic word imitating a beetle.
The song's meaning is open to interpretation, but it has been suggested that "igqira lendlela" could be a reference to a traveler or someone searching for a path. The repeated use of "nguqongqothwane" may signify a sense of persistence or determination despite obstacles. The song's upbeat tempo and joyful tone suggest a celebratory aspect, as if the singer is triumphantly announcing their journey or accomplishment.
Line by Line Meaning
Igqira lendlela ke nguqongqothwane
I am traveling on the path of life as a porcupine
Seleqabel'egqith'apha hayi nguqongqothwane
I am picking up and gathering the thorns I encounter on the way, as a porcupine
Igqira lendlela nguqongqothwane
I continue on my life journey as a porcupine
Seleqabel'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
I keep picking up the thorns along the way as a porcupine
Igqira lendlela heh mama ke nguqongqothwane
I am still traveling the path of life, facing challenges as a porcupine, with my mother's encouragement
Igqira lendlela kuthwa nguqongqothwane
I continue to travel the path of life, despite hardships, as a porcupine
Selequbul'egqith'apha heh mama ke nguqongqothwane
I am picking up thorns and overcoming obstacles on my journey, with my mother's support, as a porcupine
Selequbul'egqith'apha nguqongqothwane
I keep gathering the thorns and facing challenges, but I can do it, as a porcupine
Seleqabel'egqith'apha heh mama ke nguqongqothwane
With my mother's encouragement, I pick up and gather the thorns of life's obstacles and keep moving forward, as a porcupine
Hoya!
A call of affirmation or encouragement, signaling the strength and resilience of the porcupine spirit
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
zebraxas screamin
Her first album came out when I was one ... I love this stuff!!!! I want cds !!!! I just discovered her!!!!!
Learn Xhosa with UBuntu Bridge
igqirha lendlela nguqongqothwane
The healer of the road is the dung beatle