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
Remember Sophiatown
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The streets look sad and dry
Old Sophia is gone
Bom, bom, bom, bom
Bom, bom, bom, bom, bom
Old Sophia is gone forever
Ruins, ruins all round
Ruins, ruins all round
Gone are those lovely valleys
Where the old folks met
Bom, bom, bom, bom
Bom, bom, bom, bom
Old Sophia is gone forever
Ruins, ruins all round
Sweet Sophia is broken forever
Ruins, ruins all round
Gone are those lovely valleys
Where the old folks met
Bom, bom, bom, bom
Bom, bom, bom, bom
Old Sophia is gone forever
Ruins, ruins all round
Sweet Sophia is broken forever
Ruins, ruins all round
The birds are gone
The streets look sad and dry
Old Sophia is gone
Old Sophia is gone
Miriam Makeba's song "Sophiatown Is Gone" brings a sad and nostalgic feeling about a once-thriving and vibrant district in Johannesburg, South Africa called Sophiatown. The song refers to the destruction of the vibrant community due to apartheid, the forced removal of its residents, and its subsequent physical destruction by the government in the 1950s. The lyrics paint a picture of a desolate and ruined landscape where old folks' meeting places are replaced by ruins, and birds and life have disappeared. Makeba's powerful voice and delivery bring home the emotional tone of the song.
The lyrics of "Sophiatown Is Gone" are simple, but they are profound in their message. The song reflects on the destruction of a vibrant and diverse community that was home to people of various races, cultures, and ethnicities. Sophiatown was a thriving cultural epicenter, where different music genres like jazz and African music converged, a place where people coexisted peacefully and creatively. However, this cultural and social diversity and harmony was not to the liking of the South African government, which sought to enforce racial segregation under the apartheid regime. Sophiatown was deemed a "white area," and its residents, including Miriam Makeba, were forcibly removed, and the district was destroyed. The song laments the loss of community and cultural identity, highlighting the violence and devastation wrought by the apartheid regime.
Line by Line Meaning
The birds are gone
The once lively and colorful atmosphere of Sophiatown is now gone and everything seems barren and lifeless
The streets look sad and dry
The streets of Sophiatown no longer have the lively vibe of yesteryears, rather it appears as deserted, barren and not flourishing as it used to be.
Old Sophia is gone
Sophiatown, a vibrant city that contained all the joy and high spirits of the black community is now lost to time.
Bom, bom, bom, bom Bom, bom, bom, bom, bom Old Sophia is gone forever Ruins, ruins all round Sweet Sophia is broken forever Ruins, ruins all round
The chorus merely emphasizes the tragedy of the loss and mourns the destruction and devastation that now surrounds it.
Gone are those lovely valleys Where the old folks met
The places that were once the center of gathering for meetings, conversations and hanging out for the people of Sophiatown is now in ruins
Old Sophia is gone
Sophiatown, a vibrant city that contained all the joy and high spirits of the black community is now lost to time.
Bom, bom, bom, bom Bom, bom, bom, bom, bom Old Sophia is gone forever Ruins, ruins all round Sweet Sophia is broken forever Ruins, ruins all round
The chorus merely emphasizes the tragedy of the loss and mourns the destruction and devastation that now surrounds it.
Gone are those lovely valleys Where the old folks met
The places that were once the center of gathering for meetings, conversations and hanging out for the people of Sophiatown is now in ruins
Bom, bom, bom, bom Bom, bom, bom, bom, bom Old Sophia is gone forever Ruins, ruins all round Sweet Sophia is broken forever Ruins, ruins all round
The chorus merely emphasizes the tragedy of the loss and mourns the destruction and devastation that now surrounds it.
The birds are gone
The once lively and colorful atmosphere of Sophiatown is now gone and everything seems barren and lifeless
The streets look sad and dry
The streets of Sophiatown no longer have the lively vibe of yesteryears, rather it appears as deserted, barren and not flourishing as it used to be.
Old Sophia is gone
Sophiatown, a vibrant city that contained all the joy and high spirits of the black community is now lost to time.
Old Sophia is gone
Sophiatown, a vibrant city that contained all the joy and high spirits of the black community is now lost to time.
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.