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
Qhude
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sebeleth'imbamba
Sebeleth'imbamba
Sebeleth'imbamba
Vuka makoti sekusile weh mama (Sebeleth'imbamba)
Vuka makoti sekusile (Sebeleth'imbamba
Vuka makoti sekusile weh mama (Sebeleth'imbamba)
Heh mama qhude bo
Selikhal'emaweni weh ma
Bathi ke woh sekusile
Qhude bo
Selikhal'emaweni weh ma
Bathi ke woh sekusil'amanz'awekho
Vuka makoti sekusile weh ma
Vuka makot'amanz'awekho
Vuka makoti sekusile
Helele mam'amanz'awekho
Vuka makoti sekusile weh ma
Vuka makot'amanz'awekho
Vuka makot'amanz'awekho
Heh mama qhude bo (Amanz'awekho)
Selikhal'emaweni weh ma (Amanz'awekho)
Bathi ke woh sekusile (Amanz'awekho)
Qhude bo (Amanz'awekho)
Heh selikhal'emaweni weh ma (Amanz'awekho)
Bathi ke woh sekusil'amanz'awekho
Qhude (Amanz'awekho)
Selikhal'emaweni weh ma (Uwo)
Amanz'awekho uwo (Bathi ke woh sekusile)
Qhude (Amanz'awekho)
Selikhal'emaweni weh ma (Uwo)
Amanz'awekho uwo (Bathi ke woh sekusile)
Qhude bo
Selikhal'emaweni weh ma
Bathi ke woh sekusil'amanz'awekho
Qhude bo
Selikhal'emaweni weh ma
Bathi ke woh sekusil'amanz'awekho
Amanz'awekho
Amanz'awekho
Amanz'awekho
Amanz'awekho
Amanz'awekho
Amanz'awekho
Amanz'awekho
Amanz'awekho (Amanz'awekho)
Amanz'awekho (Amanz'awekho)
Amanz'awekho (Amanz'awekho)
The lyrics to Miriam Makeba's song "Qhude" are largely repetitive, with the phrase "Sebeleth'imbamba" repeated four times before the verses begin. The song then takes a more structured form, with verses consisting of three lines each, before returning to the chorus. The verses themselves are sung in Xhosa, a South African language, and roughly translate to "Wake up, bride, your dowry is not there," speaking to the urgency of a young woman's need to provide for herself in a fairly patriarchal society. The chorus is largely a call-and-response style, between a woman and her mother, with the mother urging the daughter to dance (Qhude) as a means of celebration and expression.
In a broader context, the song can be seen as an ode to the resilience and strength of African women, who face systemic oppression and misogyny, and yet have historically found ways to thrive in the face of these obstacles. The song's driving beat and energetic call to action create a sense of urgency, and the repetition of certain phrases serves to underscore the importance of the message being conveyed. Overall, "Qhude" is a powerful commentary on the experiences of African women and the ways they have learned to overcome adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Sebeleth'imbamba
Hold onto the pole tightly
Vuka makoti sekusile weh mama (Sebeleth'imbamba)
Wake up bride, your groom is waiting (Hold onto the pole tightly)
Vuka makoti sekusile (Sebeleth'imbamba
Wake up bride, he is waiting (Hold onto the pole tightly)
Vuka makot'amanz'awekho (Sebeleth'imbamba)
Wake up bride, your water is finished (Hold onto the pole tightly)
Heh mama qhude bo
Hey mother, take that pot off the fire
Selikhal'emaweni weh ma
Put it down in the valley
Bathi ke woh sekusile
People are saying he is awake
Qhude bo
Take it off
Selikhal'emaweni weh ma
Put it down in the valley
Bathi ke woh sekusil'amanz'awekho
People say water is finished
Helele mam'amanz'awekho
Oh my, the water is finished
Qhude bo (Amanz'awekho)
Take it off (The water is finished)
Heh selikhal'emaweni weh ma (Amanz'awekho)
Hey put it down in the valley (The water is finished)
Bathi ke woh sekusil'amanz'awekho
People say water is finished
Qhude (Amanz'awekho)
Take it off (The water is finished)
Selikhal'emaweni weh ma (Uwo)
Put it down in the valley (Yes)
Amanz'awekho uwo (Bathi ke woh sekusile)
There's no water (People are saying he is awake)
Amanz'awekho
There's no water
Amanz'awekho
There's no water
Amanz'awekho
There's no water
Amanz'awekho
There's no water
Amanz'awekho (Amanz'awekho)
There's no water (There's no water)
Amanz'awekho (Amanz'awekho)
There's no water (There's no water)
Amanz'awekho (Amanz'awekho)
There's no water (There's no water)
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.