Miriam Makeba, the voice of the (still) famous song “Pata Pata”, is a figure that’s not only historic for her music. She is also a name that has become intertwined with South African politics, having become a civil rights activist and a powerful voice against the end of apartheid. Seen here in all its guises, especially when travelling the world spreading a political message for an end to racism and poverty on the African continent.
Miriam Makeba (1932 – 2008) is Mama Africa. Miriam Makeba is Mama Africa because her music broke down frontiers. Miriam Makeba is a name that resonates. Miriam Makeba is multifaceted: singer, songwriter, actress, activist and South African. These last two important facets lead her down a path, both musical and personal, completely marked by her fight for human rights and her criticism of the apartheid imposed by a white minority ruling the African country. Her fascinating life takes her from traditional African songs to American jazz in New York — where she recorded her first solo album in the mid-1960s, after a decade working with other groups and artists — and much further than that. (Ana Cabral Martins)