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
Kwazulu
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba nomama
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba nomama
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba nomama
Eh mama ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Bath'intomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Bathi ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba nomama
Weh babe noma kwafel'ubaba nomama
Bathi ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba nomama
Weh babe noma kwafel'ubaba nomama
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
'Bangiqomi kwaZulu
Babo (Abangiqom'emaBhaceni abangiqomi)
KwaZulu babo (Abangiqom'emaBhaceni abangiqomi)
'Bangiqomi kwaZulu
Babo (Abangiqom'emaBhaceni abangiqomi)
KwaZulu babo
Umkhonto kaShaka
Bathi (Washis'umuzi kaBaba, mkhonto)
KaShaka (Washis'umuzi kaBaba, mkhonto)
Umkhonto kaShaka
Bathi (Washis'umuzi kaBaba, mkhonto)
KaShaka (Washis'umuzi kaBaba, mkhonto)
'Bangiqomi kwaZulu
Babo (Abangiqom'emaBhaceni abangiqomi)
KwaZulu babo (Abangiqom'emaBhaceni abangiqomi)
'Bangiqomi kwaZulu
Babo (Abangiqom'emaBhaceni angiqomi)
KwaZulu babo (Abangiqom'emaBhaceni abangiqomi)
Bathi ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba nomama
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba nomama
Bathi ngeke ngiye kwaZulu bo kwafel'ubaba nomama
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba nomama
Eh mama ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Bath'intomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Bathi nsizwa eh heh hmmm
The opening lines of Miriam Makeba’s “In the Land of the Zulus” speak to the theme of leaving that characterizes much of the South Africa she portrays. Wafting strings, a lilting melody, and Makeba’s lilting voice evoke a sense of nostalgia or longing for a place left behind. The lyrics express the sentiment of not being able to go to KwaZulu for the funeral of a father and mother. The repetitive nature of the first two lines emphasizes the sense of being prevented from going home. The following lines “Eh mama ntomb’igeza ngovuma kukha’l’insizwa yeheni,” which roughly translates to “Oh Mama, the daughter of Geza, agrees to help me cry as a young man,” emphasizes the communal nature of mourning in African societies. The next verse similarly emphasizes the communal, call-and-response mode of music-making that many associate with African music.
The chorus again is an expression of the longing or desire to go “home” to KwaZulu. The name of the place is repeated frequently, stressing the importance of connection to the land and one’s roots. “Bangiqomi kwaZulu” seems to be a catchphrase of the song, and relates to the tradition of call-and-response in African music, where one person sings and the rest of the group responds. The chant-like repetition of “Umkhonto kaShaka” adds to the sense of urgency and intensity of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba nomama
I will not go to Zulu land where my father and mother have passed away
Eh mama ntomb'igeza ngovuma kukhal'insizwa yeheni
Oh mother, the young girl cries without shame
Bathi ngeke ngiye kwaZulu kwafel'ubaba nomama
They say I should not go to Zulu land where my father and mother have passed away
'Bangiqomi kwaZulu
We are dancing in Zulu land
Umkhonto kaShaka
The spear of Shaka
Bathi (Washis'umuzi kaBaba, mkhonto)
They say (It destroyed my father's home, the spear)
Babo (Abangiqom'emaBhaceni abangiqomi)
They are my brothers (who sing with me)
Bathi ngeke ngiye kwaZulu bo kwafel'ubaba nomama
They say I should not go to Zulu land even with my father and mother
Bathi nsizwa eh heh hmmm
They say, oh young one
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.