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
Emabhaceni
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba yeheni
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba yeheni
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba yeheni
Eh mama ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Bath'intomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba yeheni
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba yeheni
Bathi ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba yeheni
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba yeheni
Eh mama ntomb'igeza ngovuma kul'khal'insizwa yeheni
Ntomb'igeza ngovuma kul'khal'insizwa yeheni
Bath'intomb'igeza ngovuma kul'khal'insizwa yeheni
Ntomb'igeza ngovuma kul'khal'insizwa yeheni
Oh kangiqomi kwaZulu
Babo ngiqom'emaBhaceni kangiqomi KwaZulu
Babo (Yebo ngiqom'emaBhaceni)
Kangiqomi kwaZulu babo
(Yelele kangiqom'emaBhaceni)
Kangiqomi kwaZulu (Babo ngiqom'emaBhaceni)
Kangiqomi kwaZulu babo
(Yelele kangiqom'emaBhaceni)
Kangiqomi kwaZulu (Babo ngiqom'emaBhaceni)
Kangiqomi kwaZulu babo
(Yelele kangiqom'emaBhaceni)
Kangiqomi kwaZulu (Babo ngiqom'emaBhaceni)
Ngiqome kwaZulu babo
(Yelele kangiqom'emaBhaceni)
Kangiqomi kwaZulu (Babo ngiqom'emaBhaceni)
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba yeheni
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba yeheni
Bathi ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba yeheni
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba yeheni
Eh mama ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Heh mama ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
The lyrics of Miriam Makeba’s “Emabhaceni” are in Zulu language and translate to “I won't go to KwaZulu, your father is dead.” The song is about a young woman, called ntomb’igeza, who is urged to get married by her female relatives (bathi). They encourage her to follow the Zulu tradition of marrying and leaving her family to live with her husband’s family. However, the young woman refuses and instead sings about not wanting to go to KwaZulu, where her potential husband is from, because his father is dead. The young woman’s decision to stay with her family rather than marrying into a different family is a way of asserting her independence and autonomy in a culture that values traditional gender roles.
“Emabhaceni” is a song that speaks to the complexities of gender roles and cultural expectations in South Africa. The lyrics illustrate how women are expected to leave their families and live with their husbands’ families, and how young women who resist this tradition face pressure from their female relatives. However, the song can also be read as a celebration of female autonomy and the refusal to conform to patriarchal expectations. It is a powerful and poignant statement on the role of women in South African society.
Line by Line Meaning
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba yeheni
I cannot go to Zulu land because my father has passed away
Eh mama ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Oh mother, young girl, it's okay to cry for a young man
Bath'intomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
They say young girls, it's okay to cry for a young man
Oh kangiqomi kwaZulu
Oh, take me to Zulu land
Babo ngiqom'emaBhaceni kangiqomi KwaZulu
My parents play music for me and take me to Zulu land
Ngiqome kwaZulu babo
I dance in Zulu land with my parents
Heh mama ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Oh mother, young girl, it's okay to cry for a young man
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mfundo Piti
on To Those We Love (Nongqongqo)
At the time the song was composed and released all the people mentioned ((Mangaliso) Sobukhwe, (Albert) Luthuli, (Nelson) Mandela, and (Walter) Sisulu were alive. While the three were in prison at Robben Island, Luthuli was not in prison, hence the question to Luthuli asking what "will you do?". Luthuli was the president of the banned African National Congress (ANC). Sobukhwe the president of Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). Mandela and Sisulu occupied executive leadership positions within the ANC at the time of their sentencing to serve life sentences in prison (1964). The same question is asked to all Africans.
Mfundo Piti
on To Those We Love (Nongqongqo)
The lyrics of "To Those We Love" by Miriam Makeba are about the struggles, sacrifices, and resilience of great African leaders who fought for freedom, justice, and equality. The repetitive chorus, "Bahleli bonke entilongweni, Bahleli bonke kwaNongqongqo" refers to how all these leaders, including Sobukwe, Luthuli, Mandela, and Sisulu, are resting in peace or buried in their respective homes. The verses pose questions about their legacy and the continuation of their work, asking "Why, Baba Luthuli? What will you do?" and "What will happen to us, MaAfrica?" These questions are a call to action for listeners to carry on the struggle for freedom and justice.
Junior
on Soweto Blues
The melancholy in her voice
Junior
on Mama
It makes me cry I could not bury my mother cause I was in prison when I ask prison authorities to allow me an opportunity to go and attend the funeral they refused. We always underestimate the role of women
no
on Beware, Verwoerd! (Ndodemnyama)
no
hi! i enjoted. this song. i loved it
Matt Olomu
on Noweva
This is your challenge, South Africans who understand the lyrics of NOWEVER. Do yourselves and Africa a favour. Interpret it.