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

Ngalala Phantsi
Miriam Makeba Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Maye bajabula bonk'uma ngilele phantsi babo
Jiya woh hom hmm
Hela babe bajabula bonk'uma ngilele phantsi babo
Jiya woh hom hmm

Maye babo ngagula babo ngalala phantsi babo
Jiya woh hom hmm
Hela babe ngagula babo ngalala phantsi babo

Jiya woh hom hmm

Hela babe sinining'esami sangithengel'impaka bo
Jiya woh hom hmm
Hela babe sinining'esami sangithengel'impaka babo
Jiya woh hom hmm

Hela babe ngagula babo ngalala phantsi
Jiya woh hom hmm
Hele sinining'esami sangithengel'impaka babo
Jiya woh hom hmm

Hela babe ngibhajiwe yini mn'engiyilele phantsi babo
Jiya woh hom hmm
Hela babe ngagula babo ngalala phantsi babo
Jiya woh hom hmm
Hela babe ngagula babo ngalala phantsi babo

Ngagula woh ngalala phantsi
Ngagula babe ngalala phantsi
Ngagula woh ngalala phantsi
Ngagula mine ngalala phantsi

Ngagula babo ngalala phantsi
Ngagula babo ngalala phantsi babo

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Miriam Makeba's Ngalala Phantsi are sung in a blend of Zulu and Xhosa languages, making it harder for non-native speakers to fully decipher the song's meaning. However, the overriding mood is one of frustration and resignation. The chorus, "Hela babe ngagula babo ngalala phantsi babo" (meaning "I'm suffering, lying down") is repeated throughout the song, creating a haunting refrain that expresses the feeling of being trapped by circumstances beyond one's control.

The song talks about the daily struggles that people go through, despite their efforts to make things work. Some lines suggest being put down by other people who are quick to judge without understanding the situation at hand. It also speaks of feeling helpless and defeated, despite the perseverance and the longing to improve one's situation. In essence, the song is a lamentation of the hardships that many people face daily, and the despair that comes with it.

Overall, the song is a powerful expression of the struggles and injustices that many in South Africa experienced during the apartheid era. It is a tribute to those who persevered despite the odds, and a reminder of the difficulties facing those who continue to struggle for a more just and equitable world.

Line by Line Meaning

Maye bajabula bonk'uma ngilele phantsi babo
Oh, they are all celebrating while I am lying down here.