Miriam Makeba dead at 76

As you may already know, the great South African singer and activist, Miriam Makeba died recently. My first acquaintance with Miriam Makeba's music was only a few years ago (2003?) through her song, "Pata Pata". To further my knowledge of this mellifluous singer's work and in the process, edu-ma-cate myself about the sprawling, organic mass of vibrant music known simply as "world music", I bought a compilation of her songs from 1960-65 called Africa. Makeba's voice connects with you even though you may not understand the words she sings (she sings in several languages--Xhosa, French, and English among them). It is a voice that will be missed all over the world.

MAKEBA: "MAMA AFRICA"'S BODY GOES HOME

(AGI) - Johannesburg, 12 Nov - The body of Miriam Makeba has been flown back to her home country, South Africa. The important singer who was a symbol of the struggle against apartheid had died Sunday night at the end of her performance in the anti-camorra concert Sunday held in Castel Volturno. The casket was flown into the Or Tambo airport in Johannesburg and was met by the relative of the 76-year-old Mama Africa and by the Minister for Arts and Culture Pallo Jordan, at the head of a government delegation, who relayed President Kgalema Motlanthe's condolences to her family. Reports were from a spokesman for the South African Foreign Ministry, Ronnie Mamoepa. The ministry got involved to help her relatives with all the bureaucratic paperwork, and thereby get the documents necessary for her repatriation in the shortest time possible.

The singer's corpse will be cremated after the funeral, the date of which has not yet been set. Makeba, a good will ambassador for her country, activist for civil rights and famous the world over for such successes as 'Pata Pata' or 'The Click Song', fell ill at the end of her performance in Campania and was immediately hospitalized, but soon died. Considered a sort of alter ego for Nelson Mandela, in 1960 she had her South African citizenship taken away by the apartheid regime, at that time solidly in power and which later did not allow her to come back even for her mother's funeral. She therefore was forced to spend over three decades in jail, living in the United States, Guinea and other countries.

Miriam Makeba - Olilili (Africa, 1991)
Miriam Makeba - The Click Song (Africa, 1991)
Miriam Makeba - Qhude (Africa, 1991)