Entertainment World Mourns The Death of Miriam Makeba

BY TIJAN NIMAGA, Bronx New York

The entertainment world mourns the death of Miriam Makeba, South Africa’s legendary anti-apartheid musician and singer icon. She was the woman crowned the Empress of Africa and “Mama Africa” and until her death, she was considered the most important female vocalist to come out of South Africa.

From her hospital bed in southern Italy where she died to everywhere around the world, everyone- even those who have never met her, mourns Makeba’s death. Miriam Makeba was born in Johannesburg in 1932.She died at the age 76 on Sunday November 9, 2008. For nearly six decades, she remained an international icon in African music. Miriam Makeba during the beginning of her career, which debuted in New York with the Manhattan Brothers, helped to increase worldwide attention on racial segregation and the evils of apartheid. Her relentless activism to expose the obnoxious regimes in apartheid South Africa sent her in exile for thirty-one years. Like many of the post apartheid heroes sent into exile or kept behind bars, Makeba left everything behind that was dear to her including her family and country when the apartheid regime had her citizenship revoked in 1960.That forced her to consider herself as a “world citizen” and this continued until the fall of apartheid.

       During three decades of exile, she lived in the United States where she recorded her first single “Lakutshona Llange” in 1953. Makeba’s breakthrough hit in the United States came in 1967,when Pata Pata charted. From the United States she moved to France, Guinea in West Africa where she was well received by the late President of Guinea Ahmed Saikou Toure. From Guinea she also lived in Belgium. However her greatest achievement was in 1976 when she spoke before the United Nations where she denounced apartheid’s policy of racial segregation. The brave female legend continued to dominate the African musical industry at her time.

 Her departure leaves indelible memories on the minds of millions but the greatest of all is her legacy and contributions to what is now a democratic South Africa. The entire world misses her charisma and indefatigable personality during the struggle for liberation and equality, which took so many years to overcome. Miriam Makeba our sister in faith and mother in society we pray that the Almighty God grants you the best place in Heaven where all miseries are banished and peace and joy ever more abide. Amen!