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
The Retreat Song
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Zophukel'emlanjeni wo hom
Xa kubethw'intonga
Iya hom
Amadod'ayoyika
Ukubheka emlandweni wo hom
Kuba kubethw'intonga
O jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba
Jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba
O jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba
Jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba
Axhents'amakhwenkwe
Axhentsa kwabamandi
Axhents'amakhwenkwe
Axhentsel'emgodini
Axhents'amakhwenkwe
Axhentsa kwabamandi
Axhents'amakhwenkwe
Axhentsel'emgodini
O jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba
Jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba
O jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba
Jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba
Ajik'amadoda
Ajika kwabamandi
Ajik'amadoda
Ajikel'emgodini
Ajik'amadoda
Ajika kwabamandi
Ajik'amadoda
Ajikel'emgodini
Iyo, iyo, iyo hayi (Jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba)
Iyo, iyo, iyo hayi (Jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba)
Iya hayi hayi hayi yoh hayo (Jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba)
Iyo, iyo, iyo hayi (Jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba)
Ajik'amadoda
Ajika kwabamandi
Ajik'amadoda
Ajikel'emgodini
Ajik'amadoda
Ajika kwabamandi
Ajik'amadoda
Ajikel'emgodini
Intonga zamakhwenkwe
Zophukel'emlanjeni wo hom
Kuba kubethw'intonga
Iya hom
The Retreat Song by Miriam Makeba is a song sung in Xhosa about a group of young boys who are herding their cattle in a particular area. The lyrics explain the consequences of not hearing and responding to the sound of a traditional instrument called the "intonga", which is used to signal the boys to retreat and gather their cattle. The song is structured around an intense call-and-response between Makeba and her backup vocalists, beautifully backed by rhythmic African drumming.
The song's lyrics start by saying the intonga belonging to the young boys is left beside the stream, and when it is blown, the boys move back to their village. The song then goes on to say that the boys of cowardly nature are afraid of seeing other men and looking at them, and that they tend to keep themselves apart. The chorus repeats the boys' reaction to the intonga as Makeba sings "Jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba," which means "I will retreat when the horn is blown."
The Retreat Song is significant both historically and culturally. It was written during a time of great social and political turmoil in South Africa, and it was used as an anthem of sorts during the anti-apartheid movement. The song is now performed at various events to honor the struggle and strength of the South African people in their quest for peace, justice, and freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Intonga zamakhwenkwe
The sticks belong to the young boys
Zophukel'emlanjeni wo hom
They sharpen them by the riverside
Xa kubethw'intonga
When the sticks are brandished
Iya hom
They go home
Amadod'ayoyika
The men who are scared
Ukubheka emlandweni wo hom
Are watching from behind the tree
Kuba kubethw'intonga
When the sticks are brandished
Iya hom
They go home
O jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba
Oh, walking through the valleys and hills
Axhents'amakhwenkwe
The girls clap hands for the boys
Axhentsa kwabamandi
They clap for the brave
Axhentsel'emgodini
They clap in the mining town
Ajik'amadoda
The ones who are not cowards
Ajika kwabamandi
Are not afraid of the brave
Ajikel'emgodini
They are not afraid to go to work
Iyo, iyo, iyo hayi (Jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba)
Oh, oh, oh no (Walking through valleys and hills)
Iya hayi hayi hayi yoh hayo (Jikel'emaweni ndiyahamba)
They go home, home, home, oh yes (Walking through valleys and hills)
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@destinyschild.9103
Who else is watching this in 2023? Let us gather here 👏 👏 to say Rest in peace to the Queen of Africa
@mahlatsiramokgopa2156
Timeless music we have here.
@maudeneyarber9997
Good memories in the Big Apple New York City!!
@raanahaider2970
Me first in 1967. Now in 2020. 🙌
@emmanueltailor6305
Tailor. Like too much.
@emmanueltailor6305
Unforgettables.
@user-oj8io9vd2n
Watching in March 2024 always love the sounds of Miriam Makeba Sounds ofAfrica can never die
@ethelndlovu7412
I am proud to say I was at this concert in 1987 as a 20 year old. My love and admiration for Miriam is still as strong. Rest in peace Mama Afrika. Your music is a true legacy.
@amosadamu-qd5re
Wow good to hear that then you're a eye witness then
@David-JonathanIITaylor-gx3zg
Well I still feel in good company to be here educated by those whom saw her in the flesh 😢😅😊