Zenzile Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), also known as Mama Africa, was beyond di… Read Full Bio ↴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. 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

I Long to Return
Miriam Makeba Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Obani (Obani labantu bo)
Abakhathaz'umoya wami
Obani lababantu mama
Obani labantu bo
Abakhathaz'umoya wami
Abakhathaz'umoya wami bo (Obani labantu bo)
Abakhathaz'umoya wami
Obani labantu bo

Abakhathaz'umoya wami

I dream I was in a womb
Sitting on a cushion, soft and warm
Sheltered from the hailstones
Beating down on the raw wounds of my life
Of my life

The womb is pierced
I am covered in blood
And I'm full of scars and scabs
And I step out into this harsh
Lonely, prison world
And from my solitary cell
I will cry out

Who cursed me to be here?
I long to return (Long to return)
To the cozy womb (Cozy womb)
For it to become (Oh become)
My sudden tomb us (A sudden tomb)

I long to return (Long to return)
To the cozy womb (Cozy womb)
For it to become (Oh become)
My sudden tomb us (A sudden tomb)

And I'm full of scars and scabs
I step out into this harsh
Lonely, prison world
And from my solitary cell
I believe
I long to return to the cozy womb

Ngobani lababantu weh babo
Abakhathaz'umoya wami

Foreign it is for it to bear me again
Like a baby
Tender and smooth
With no knowledge of how
To live, breathe and feel

Who cares?
To be here (Ngobani lababantu mama yeh yeh)
Who cares?
To be here (Abakhathaz'umoya wami mama)
Who cares?
To be here
Who cares? (Ngobani lababantu)
To be here (Abakhathaz'umoya wami)

Who cares? (Obani lababantu)
To be here (Abakhathaz'umoya wami)
Who cares? (Obani lababantu)
To be here (Abakhathaz'umoya wami)
Who cares? (Obani lababantu)
To be here (Abakhathaz'umoya wami)
Who cares? (Obani lababantu)
To be here (Abakhathaz'umoya wami)
Who cares? (Obani lababantu)
To be here (Abakhathaz'umoya wami)

Who cares? (Obani lababantu)
To be here (Abakhathaz'umoya wami)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Miriam Makeba's song "I Long to Return" express themes of longing and despair, as the singer reflects on the difficulties of life and dreams of returning to the comfort of the womb. The opening lines of the song address the question of who the singer is addressing - "Obani (Obani labantu bo)," or "who are these people?" - before asserting that the singer's spirit is weighed down by the burdens of life ("Abakhathaz'umoya wami").

The next section of the lyrics describes a dream sequence in which the singer imagines themselves back in the womb, protected from the harsh realities of life outside. When the singer is forced to leave the womb, they are covered in scars and must face the "harsh, lonely, prison world" on their own. The repeated refrain "I long to return to the cozy womb" emphasizes the singer's yearning for the simplicity and security of the past, while the closing lines of the song address the broader question of whether it even matters who or what brought the singer into the world.

The powerful words and emotional tone of "I Long to Return" reflect Miriam Makeba's own life experiences as an activist and artist. Makeba used her music to speak out against apartheid in her native South Africa, and became an outspoken icon of the anti-colonial movement. The song has been performed in a variety of contexts, from Makeba's own concerts to covers by other artists like Angélique Kidjo, and continues to resonate with listeners seeking comfort and solace in difficult times.

Line by Line Meaning

Obani (Obani labantu bo)
Who is it (Who are these people)

Abakhathaz'umoya wami
That troubles my soul

Obani lababantu mama
Who are these people, Mama

Obani labantu bo
Who are these people

Abakhathaz'umoya wami
That troubles my soul

Abakhathaz'umoya wami bo (Obani labantu bo)
That troubles my soul (Who are these people)

Abakhathaz'umoya wami
That troubles my soul

Obani labantu bo
Who are these people

Abakhathaz'umoya wami
That troubles my soul

I dream I was in a womb
In my dream, I was in a womb

Sitting on a cushion, soft and warm
In a comfy, cozy place

Sheltered from the hailstones
Protected from the difficult and painful realities of life

Beating down on the raw wounds of my life
Which wound me deeply

Of my life
In my life

The womb is pierced
The womb where I was safe is now broken

I am covered in blood
I'm bleeding

And I'm full of scars and scabs
And my body is battered and hurt

And I step out into this harsh
And I enter into this tough world

Lonely, prison world
A world that is isolated and like a jail

And from my solitary cell
From my place of isolation

I will cry out
I will shout

Who cursed me to be here?
Who sent me to this place?

I long to return (Long to return)
I wish to go back (I wish to go back)

To the cozy womb (Cozy womb)
To the place where I was safe (Comfortable womb)

For it to become (Oh become)
For it to turn into (Oh turn into)

My sudden tomb us (A sudden tomb)
My final resting place (A sudden resting place)

I long to return (Long to return)
I wish to go back (I wish to go back)

To the cozy womb (Cozy womb)
To the place where I was safe (Comfortable womb)

For it to become (Oh become)
For it to turn into (Oh turn into)

My sudden tomb us (A sudden tomb)
My final resting place (A sudden resting place)

And I'm full of scars and scabs
And my body is battered and hurt

I step out into this harsh
I enter into this tough world

Lonely, prison world
A world that is isolated and like a jail

And from my solitary cell
From my place of isolation

I believe
I think

I long to return to the cozy womb
I want to go back to the place where I was safe (Comfortable womb)

Ngobani lababantu weh babo
Foreign it is for it to bear me again

Like a baby
Like an innocent child

Tender and smooth
Soft and gentle

With no knowledge of how
Without any idea of how

To live, breathe and feel
To survive, respire, and experience

Who cares?
Who is concerned?

To be here (Ngobani lababantu mama yeh yeh)
Exist in this place, Mama

Who cares?
Who is concerned?

To be here (Abakhathaz'umoya wami mama)
Exist in this place (That troubles my soul, Mama)

Who cares?
Who is concerned?

To be here
Exist in this place

Who cares? (Ngobani lababantu)
Who is concerned? (Who are these people)