Berlin. 17 November 2008, By: Eric Singh
“The sudden passing of our beloved Miriam has saddened us and our nation. For many decades, starting in the years before we went to prison, MaMiriam featured prominently in our lives and we enjoyed her moving performances at home. Despite her tremendous sacrifice and the pain she felt to leave behind her beloved family and country when she went into exile, she continued to make us proud as she used her worldwide fame to focus attention on the abomination of apartheid”. –Nelson Mandela
The Voice of Africa – Miriam Makeba - is no more. She died as she lived. In action. A statement released by the Foreign Ministry of South Africa on 10 November 2008 stated: “Miriam Makeba died at the Veneto Verde hospital near Naples after performing at the Castel Volturno. Makeba whose famous hits include Pata Pata, the Click Song, and Malaika, died after taking part in a concert for a writer threatened with death by the Mafia, Roberto Saviano. She collapsed as she was leaving the stage. Paramedical assistance was rendered immediately and she was rushed to hospital, where she unfortunately passed away”.
Thousands of messages that have poured in from all over the world, and these also include heads of states, do ample justice to this brave woman who gave her all for her people and continent.
Miriam Makeba was a born optimist. In a statement on the occasion of her 70th birthday, she stated: “There are three things I was born with in this world, and these three things I will have until the day I die. They are – hope, determination, and song. These things I also hold in common with my people. If you believe, as I do, that every man and woman is an object of wonder and joy in the heart of the Superior Being, then it is not too much to expect that some day all wrongs will be righted, and justice will prevail. We all want the same thing: a decent life, peace and love. This is not politics; it seems to be that it is common sense. I have never been to a university, but I do have common sense. I got it from my mother’s breast”.
Last weekend, , South Africans of all hues, gathered in their thousands in Johannesburg to bid farewell to this great lady of music. Her remains were cremated at a private ceremony on Sunday 16 November 2008.
Miriam Makeba was a simple young lady who grew up in the poverty-ridden townships of Johannesburg. She was at times a domestic worker but her greatest love was music. And, she had the voice for it. From a humble beginning in school and church choirs, she grew up into an international figure who was received by royalty and heads of states over the past 50 years and more.
She had a number of “titles” Mama Africa, the Voice of Africa, Empress of African Music and others too numerous to mention. I cannot do justice to the activities and achievements of our dead sister in the space of this column. In any case that is not my intention. Her life, music, and struggle are well documented and easily available for those who want to know more about this ambassador of goodwill.
Her popularity was unlimited. An incident that occurred in East Berlin comes to mind. In July/August 1973, East Berlin was host to the World Festival of Youth and Students. One of the guests was Miriam Makeba and her band. The famous Alexanderplatz (square) in the city was packed to capacity. There were about 60-70 thousand people who danced whilst the band played and Miriam wooed them with her popular melodies.
In the midst of the performance, the heavens opened up. It did not rain. It poured. But everybody, spectators and performers alike, were undaunted and carried on as if nothing happened. That incident was glued in her mind and she mentioned it at a press conference here in Berlin when she came to received the Otto-Hahn Peace Award in 2001, bestowed to her by the German Society of the United Nations.
Miriam Makeba was a simple person and always concerned about those around her. Despite earning lots of money, she was forever broke. There was no money for a casket when her daughter Bongi was buried in Guinea/Conakry in 1985.
Jonas Gwangwa, a trombonist and fellow exile, told the South African Broadcasting Corporation (10/1008): “Miriam was always giving things to people. She helped us – Hugh Masekela and I when we were in America – and various other South Africans. You know, she was a very giving person, helpful and quite outspoken especially about the revolution in South Africa against Apartheid. She was quite a smart lady, and we have lost one of the greatest stars of South Africa”.
Miriam Makeba never forgot the support and assistance she received from that other great star – Harry Belafonte when she first arrived in America in the late 1950s. Her passport was revoked by the South African regime and she was to become an exile. Many countries vied with each other for her citizenship. At one stage she had more than six passports. some of which were diplomatic ones.
In the years that followed, Makeba did not hesitate to help other young people to make the grade. She always took them on tour with her. There are 100s of artists, South Africans, and from other countries, who are grateful that this great woman helped to launch them on their professional careers.
When she returned home at Nelson Mandela’s request in 1990, Makeba did not confine herself only to the musical and cultural aspect of society.
She became socially active and did a tremendous amount to uplift the downtrodden. The main thrust of her concentration concerned the establishment of the Miriam Makeba Rehabilitation Centre for Girls in Johannesburg. This was not an easy undertaking but given her charm and determination, this project became a reality in 2003.
Makeba explained her determination: “The new democratic South Africa gave birth to a ray of hope to the youth and young adults who were perceived as the “Lost Generation”. Whilst the historically disadvantaged majority of this country were actively fighting the previous legacy of the past, most children and youth suffered the negative consequences of the apartheid era. This resulted in most of these children losing identity, their dignity, self respect and control, which ultimately led to such problems as abuse and destitute.
“Our young girls today are our future mothers that desperately need guidance and support to become role models for their children. The Makeba Centre for girls has been established to provide a safe and habitable centre for young girls between the ages of 11 and 18. The main objective is to ensure safety and that will contribute towards a sound and physical, mental and spiritual health that will bring about self-respect, promotion of dignity and maintenance of integrity”.
The road from King Kong, the musical in the 1950s which gave so much pleasure to South Africans at home and later to a broad overseas audience, has been long. Now, we take leave from a person who became a household name internationally.
Don Mattera, a veteran South African poet and author, summed it up very appropriately in his tribute. Here is an extract from the poem he dedicated to Miriam.
How we rejoiced with you
When you left our dusty townships
To show the world that we too were gifted
That we too had nightingales that could shake the stars And we watched you leave, and our hearts ached With a longing that inflamed our spirits
Burnished the windows of our soul.
We salute you fairest Afrikan Queen You, who wept against the indifferent moon, Traversing the shores of strange lands Standing attention to foreign flags Alienated, tolerated nomad of the struggle Marching to the sound of distant drums
Sleeping in the dark folds of an exiled sunset
Waking in the glow of a challenging day You, Miriam, broke bread with revolutionaries And was honoured by kings.
This eulogy of love for a revered Matriach, Is for you, Miriam Makeba
HAMBA KAHLE!
Ends…
Subject: re: Obituary - Miriam Makeba
From: "Karic"
Date: Wed, November 19, 2008 4:46 pm
To: "VOICE Refugee Forum"
Afika-Rat: Pressemitteilung zum Tod von Miriam Makeba
Mama Afrika ist von uns gegangen!
Wir, alle Mitglieder des Afrika-Rates in Berlin-Brandenburg trauern um unsere Mutter und Großmutter Miriam Makeba, die uns plötzlich in der Nacht vom 9. zum 10. November verlassen hat. Makeba trat am Sonntag bei einem Solidaritätskonzert für Roberto Saviano im italienischen Castel Volturno auf und begeisterte die Zuschauer. Dann wurde ihr übel. Die 76-Jährige starb im Krankenhaus. Sie erlitt einen Herzinfarkt.
Das Leben Miriam Makebas ist ein Beispiel dafür, dass man die Kunst als Werkzeug zur Befreiung der Unterdrückten unserer Welt nutzen kann. Also war sie eine politische Aktivistin und starke Stimme gegen die Ungerechtigkeit und die Ausgrenzung weltweit und besonders in Südafrika. Kompromisslos setzte sich Miriam Makeba für den Kampf gegen das Apartheid-Regime in Südafrika. Wenn Nelson Mandela das männliche Symbol jenes Kampfes ist, gilt Miriam Makeba als die weibliche Verkörperung dieses Kampfes.
Ihr plötzlicher Tod ist ein großer Verlust für Afrika und die Welt, aber ihre Art, ihr Engagement und ihre Musik werden für ewig in unseren Herzen und in unserer Erinnerung bleiben.
Wir verneigen uns mit Respekt, Anerkennung und Dankbarkeit von unserer Grande Dame Afrikas und vor ihrem Lebenswerk und verabschieden uns würdig von ihr.
Möge Miriam Makeba jetzt nach ihrem erfolgreichen und erfüllten Leben in Frieden ruhen.
Kontakt:
Vorsitzender: Sesay Alimamy, mwaltenberg_sesay@hotmail.com; 0175-4128295
Generalsekretär: Sven Mekarides, s.mekarides@yahoo.de; 0162-4517504