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
Kilimanjaro
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mama eh
Mama ndiyavuya mna
Mama ndiyavuya mna
Hayi ndinqwenel'iRhawuti (Kilimanjaro)
Ndibuyel'ekhaya (Kilimanjaro)
Ndiyavuya mna (Kilimanjaro)
Hmmm (Kilimanjaro)
Halala la la la
La la la la la (Kilimanjaro)
Mama eh
Mama eh
Mama ndiyavuya mna (Kilimanjaro)
Mama ndiyavuya mna
Hayi ndinqwenel'iRhawuti
Ndibuyel'ekhaya (Kilimanjaro)
Ndiyavuya mna (Kilimanjaro)
Halala la la la
Ha la ha la la la la (Kilimanjaro)
Way up, high up
Way up on Kilimanjaro (Kilimanjaro)
Slow top Kilimanjaro
After all they're hunting
Antelope and Lion (Kilimanjaro)
Is for them sleeping (Kilimanjaro)
Hmmmm
Hala ha la la la (Kilimanjaro)
Way up, high up
Way up on Kilimanjaro (Kilimanjaro)
Way up Kilimanjaro
We made a camp fire
Far off in the distance (Kilimanjaro)
That beautiful mountain (Kilimanjaro)
Hmmmm
Hala ha la la la (Kilimanjaro)
Halala lola hala hala hom
Way up, high up (Kilimanjaro)
Way up on Kilimanjaro
Resting me and my dear one (Kilimanjaro)
When the drums are throbbing
Time to go out hunting
Kilimanjaro (Kilimanjaro)
Hmm hala hom haha ho
Kill
Kill him, kill him, kill him (Kilimanjaro)
Kill the savage Lion
Before the Lion kills you
Hmm (Kilimanjaro)
Heh mna ndinqwenel'iRhawuti
Ndibuyel'ekhaya
Ndiyavuya mna (Kilimanjaro)
Mama eh
Mama eh
Mama eh
Mama eh
Mama eh
Mama eh
The song "Kilimanjaro" by Miriam Makeba is a tribute to the majestic mountains found in East Africa. The lyrics express a deep sense of joy and pride at coming home to this beautiful region. The opening verses are repetitive, with the artist expressing happiness and gratitude to her mother for what seems like many things. She then goes on to talk about her journey to Kilimanjaro and her excitement in returning home.
As she continues to sing, she describes the beauty and wonder of the mountain and how it provides a place of rest and calm. She also mentions the activities that go on in the region, such as hunting for antelope and lions. She sings about the need to be brave and protect oneself from the savage lions before they harm people. Towards the end of the song, she again expresses her happiness at being back to Kilimanjaro and her appreciation of her mother.
Overall, "Kilimanjaro" is a pleasant and uplifting song that celebrates the natural beauty of East Africa and the people who call it home.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama eh
Addressing or calling out to the singer's mother
Mama ndiyavuya mna
Expressing the singer's happiness and joy
Hayi ndinqwenel'iRhawuti
Referring to a place or mountain known as Rhawuti
Ndibuyel'ekhaya
Desiring to return home
Ndiyavuya mna (Kilimanjaro)
Expressing the singer's happiness and joy while on Kilimanjaro
Hmmm (Kilimanjaro)
An interjection indicating contemplation or reflection, specifically while on Kilimanjaro
Halala la la la
A joyful exclamation
Way up, high up
Referring to the singer's position on Kilimanjaro
Slow top Kilimanjaro
Describing the gradual ascent up Kilimanjaro
After all they're hunting
Indicating that the singer is observing others who are hunting animals
Antelope and Lion (Kilimanjaro)
Naming specific animals that are being hunted on Kilimanjaro
Is for them sleeping (Kilimanjaro)
Suggesting that the animals are resting or sleeping while the humans hunt them
We made a camp fire
Indicating that the singer and company have made a fire for warmth or cooking
Far off in the distance (Kilimanjaro)
Referring again to the location of Kilimanjaro
That beautiful mountain (Kilimanjaro)
Appreciating the beauty of Kilimanjaro
Resting me and my dear one (Kilimanjaro)
Describing a moment of rest with a loved one while on Kilimanjaro
When the drums are throbbing
Suggesting a culture that uses drums in a variety of ways
Time to go out hunting
Implying that the singer and his company will go hunting at the sound of the drums
Kill him, kill him, kill him (Kilimanjaro)
Suggesting the act of hunting and killing animals on Kilimanjaro
Kill the savage Lion
Specifically calling out the killing of a lion, which may be seen as a dangerous predator
Before the Lion kills you
Emphasizing the idea that the humans must act first before the lion can harm them
Heh mna ndinqwenel'iRhawuti
Repeating an earlier line about Rhawuti
Mama eh
Closing the song with another address to the singer's mother
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.