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
To Those We Love
Miriam Makeba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bahleli bonke kwaNongqongqo
Bahleli bonke entilongweni
Bahleli bonke kwaNongqongqo
Bahleli bonke entilongweni
Bahleli bonke kwaNongqongqo
Bahleli bonke entilongweni
Hee hee hee halala
Hee hee hee halala
Hee hee hee halala
Hee hee hee halala
Nanku, nanku, nank'uSobukwe
Nanku, nanku entilongweni
Nanku, nanku, nank'uSobukwe
Nanku, nanku entilongweni
Yini baba Luthuli?
Hayi uzotheni, uzotheni?
Yini baba Luthuli?
Hayi uzotheni, uzotheni?
Nanku, nanku, nank'uMandela
Nanku, nanku entilongweni
Nanku, nanku, nank'uSisulu
Nanku, nanku entilongweni
Yini weh maAfrica?
Hayi uzotheni, uzotheni?
Yini weh maAfrica?
Hayi uzotheni, uzotheni?
Bahleli bonke entilongweni
Bahleli bonke kwaNongqongqo
Bahleli bonke entilongweni
Bahleli bonke kwaNongqongqo
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.
Line by Line Meaning
Bahleli bonke entilongweni
Everyone is sitting together in peace
Bahleli bonke kwaNongqongqo
Everyone is sitting together in Nongqongqo
Hee hee hee halala
We celebrate and cheer
Nanku, nanku, nank'uSobukwe
Thank you, Sobukwe
Nanku, nanku entilongweni
Thank you for bringing peace
Nanku, nanku, nank'uMandela
Thank you, Mandela
Nanku, nanku, nank'uSisulu
Thank you, Sisulu
Yini baba Luthuli?
What happened to Baba Luthuli?
Hayi uzotheni, uzotheni?
Why did he have to leave us?
Yini weh maAfrica?
What happened to the people of Africa?
Bahleli bonke entilongweni
Everyone is sitting together in peace
Bahleli bonke kwaNongqongqo
Everyone is sitting together in Nongqongqo
Lyrics Ā© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheJakester1980
English translation:
They are together, they are sitting together in prison.
They are sitting together at Nongqongqo.
Here he is,
here he is,
here is Sobukwe.
Here he is in prison,
Baba Luthuli!
What is your sin?
There he is,
there he is
there is Mandela.
There he is, there he is in prison.
There he is,
there he is
there is Sisulu.
There he is, there he is in prison.
Whatās wrong with us Africans?
No, what have you done wrong,
what have you done wrong?
they are together,
they are sitting together in prison,
they are sitting together at Nongqongqo.
@ntombigijana8916
Bahleli bonke etilongweni
bahleli bonke kwa Nongqongqo Ā x4
yhi yhi yhi yhi halala Ā x4
nanku nanku nank 'uSobukhwe nanku nanku etilongweni Ā x2
YIni bawo Luthuli hayi uZotheni uZotheni Ā x2
Nanku nanku nank 'uMandela nanku nanku etilongweni x1
Nanku nank uSisulu nanku nanku etilongweni x1
YIni wemaAfrika hayi uZotheni uZotheni x2
Bahleli bonke etilongweni
Bahleli bonke kwa Ngqongqo Ā Ā x2
@mrq5805
Good morning Mr Oke.. This is a struggle song which was sung by the masses of South Africa during the apartheid era(before independence) who wanted their jailed leaders to be free, it is sung in one of SA's official languages IsiXhosa.
First verse:
Bahleli bonke entilongweni, bahleli bonke kwa Nongqongqo..X2
(They are all in prison, they sitting together in prison ) X2
Second:
Nanku, nanku, nank'uSobukhwe
Nanku, nanku entilongweni X2
(There he is, there he is, there is Sobukhwe in prison) X2
Third:
Hini bawo Luthuli.. X2
(There is Luthuli) X2
Fourth:
Nanku, nanku, nanku Mandela
Nanku, nanku entilongweni
(There he is , there he is, there is Mandela he is in prison)
Nanku, nanku, nanku Sisulu
Nanku, nanku entilongweni
(There he is, there he is, there is Sisulu he is in prison)
Fifth:
Hini we maAfrica, Hayi zothethi X2
(We cry as Africans)
Important to note that leaders she is singing about(Sobukhwe, Luthuli, Mandela, Sisulu) were the gigantic leaders who were leading the struggle...
Enjoy!
@melaniefitzgerald-nelis8436
My mother would sing it to me when I was a toddler.. Today is her Aniversary 6 years gone.. I was crying and it cane on the Radio.. I knew my mum was with me
@bandile21
I still cry for u Baba, I wish u could be here to lead us today. Azaniaās greatest son, RIP Robert Sobukwe
@franktlou9812
This song brings tears in my eyes but I can't stop playing it.
@kalmia01
Sameā¤ļøš¤
@vernonndimeni362
At Ohlange High School KZN South Africa this song was sung by the whole 1976 boys student body inside the KwaMashu police cells after we had been arrested subsequent to our march in 1976 from Inanda to mobilise Kwa-Mashu local schools to support the protest against oppressive education system policy of the Apartheid regime . The marching and singing students were unceremoniously bundled into police vans by the musically-disinclined regime police and we spent a few days in police cells .This was during the reign of principal Mr. S.D. Ngcobo. ššæššæššæ. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohlange_High_School
@loveleads
Thank you for sharing this important story
@TheJakester1980
English translation:
They are together, they are sitting together in prison.
They are sitting together at Nongqongqo.
Here he is,
here he is,
here is Sobukwe.
Here he is in prison,
Baba Luthuli!
What is your sin?
There he is,
there he is
there is Mandela.
There he is, there he is in prison.
There he is,
there he is
there is Sisulu.
There he is, there he is in prison.
Whatās wrong with us Africans?
No, what have you done wrong,
what have you done wrong?
they are together,
they are sitting together in prison,
they are sitting together at Nongqongqo.
@dal1973
Thank you so much...I always wanted to know what the Song is a about!!!
@xhalanga
Our freedom fighters
@sthe_zar6341
šæš¦ššæāāļø.