Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba

Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she was an advocate against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa. Born in Johannesburg to Swazi and Xhosa parents, Makeba was forced to find employment as a child after the death of her father. She had a brief and allegedly abusive first marriage at the age of 17, gave birth to her only child in 1950, and survived breast cancer. Her vocal talent had been recognized when she was a child, and she began singing professionally in the 1950s, with the Cuban Brothers, the Manhattan Brothers, and an all-woman group, the Skylarks, performing a mixture of jazz, traditional African melodies, and Western popular music. In 1959, Makeba had a brief role in the anti-apartheid film Come Back, Africa, which brought her international attention, and led to her performing in Venice, London, and New York City. In London, she met the American singer Harry Belafonte, who became a mentor and colleague. She moved to New York City, where she became immediately popular, and recorded her first solo album in 1960. Her attempt to return to South Africa that year for her mother's funeral was prevented by the country's government. Makeba's career flourished in the United States, and she released several albums and songs, her most popular being "Pata Pata" (1967). Along with Belafonte she received a Grammy Award for her 1965 album An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba. She testified against the South African government at the United Nations and became involved in the civil rights movement. She married Stokely Carmichael, a leader of the Black Panther Party, in 1968. As a result, she lost support among white Americans. Her visa was revoked by the US government when she was traveling abroad, forcing her and Carmichael to relocate to Guinea. She continued to perform, mostly in African countries, including at several independence celebrations. She began to write and perform music more explicitly critical of apartheid; the 1977 song "Soweto Blues", written by her former husband Hugh Masekela, was about the Soweto uprising. After apartheid was dismantled in 1990, Makeba returned to South Africa. She continued recording and performing, including a 1991 album with Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie, and appeared in the 1992 film Sarafina!. She was named an FAO Goodwill Ambassador in 1999, and campaigned for humanitarian causes. She died of a heart attack during a 2008 concert in Italy. Makeba was among the first African musicians to receive worldwide recognition. She brought African music to a Western audience, and popularized the world music and Afropop genres. She also made popular several songs critical of apartheid, and became a symbol of opposition to the system, particularly after her right to return was revoked. Upon her death, former South African President Nelson Mandela said that "her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us." ... Source: Article "Miriam Makeba" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

  • Title: Miriam Makeba
  • Popularity: 4.711
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1932-03-04
  • Place of Birth: Prospect Township, near Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As: Mama Africa
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Miriam Makeba Movies

  • 2002
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    Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony

    Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony

    6.4 2002 HD

    The struggle to eradicate apartheid in South Africa has been chronicled over time, but no one has addressed the vital role music plays in this...

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  • 1992
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    Sarafina!

    Sarafina!

    6.1 1992 HD

    The plot centers on students involved in the Soweto Riots, in opposition to the implementation of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in...

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  • 1959
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    Come Back, Africa

    Come Back, Africa

    6.8 1959 HD

    Come Back, Africa chronicles the life of Zachariah, a black South African living under the rule of the harsh apartheid government in 1959.

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  • 1969
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    The Panafrican Festival in Algiers

    The Panafrican Festival in Algiers

    6 1969 HD

    Festival panafricain d'Alger is a documentary by William Klein of the music and dance festival held 40 years ago in the streets and in venues all...

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  • 1988
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    The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert

    The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert

    10 1988 HD

    There was a time when the biggest names in pop music believed they could change the world for the better. Faced with the intolerance and excesses of...

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  • 1996
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    When We Were Kings

    When We Were Kings

    7.696 1996 HD

    It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the...

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  • 1983
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    Amok

    Amok

    1 1983 HD

    A rural teacher discovers the harsh realities of his South Africa.

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  • 2009
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    Soul Power

    Soul Power

    6.3 2009 HD

    Soul Power is a 2008 documentary film about the Zaire 74 music festival in Kinshasa which accompanied the Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight boxing...

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  • 1989
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    Have You Seen Drum Recently?

    Have You Seen Drum Recently?

    6 1989 HD

    Have You Seen Drum Recently? is a 1989 film which uses photographs from the Drum archives to tell the story of the magazine and documents its...

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  • 2012
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    Pieces of Lives, Pieces of Dreams

    Pieces of Lives, Pieces of Dreams

    1 2012 HD

    Algerian director Hamid Benamra turns his focus to Mustapha Boutadjine, a charming, mercurial collage artist in Paris whose very work methods embody...

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  • 2011
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    Mama Africa

    Mama Africa

    6.4 2011 HD

    Miriam Makeba was one of the first African musicians who won international stardom and whose music was always anchored in her traditional South...

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  • 2019
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    Africa Rising

    Africa Rising

    7.5 2019 HD

    How African artists have spread African culture all over the world, especially music, since the harsh years of decolonization, trying to offer a...

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  • 1987
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    Paul Simon | Graceland: The African Concert

    Paul Simon | Graceland: The African Concert

    5.5 1987 HD

    Singer Paul Simon and several African musicians perform a concert to benefit victims of apartheid in South Africa.

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  • 1988
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    Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute

    Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute

    6 1988 HD

    Wembley Stadium hosts a concert featuring stars from the fields of music, comedy and film, in celebration of the 70th birthday of imprisoned ANC...

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  • 2024
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    Soundtrack to a Coup d'État

    Soundtrack to a Coup d'État

    7.8 2024 HD

    In 1960, United Nations: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita...

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  • 1983
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    Amok

    Amok

    1 1983 HD

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  • 1968
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    LBJ

    LBJ

    5.7 1968 HD

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  • 1984
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    The Cosby Show

    The Cosby Show

    7.018 1984 HD

    The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until...

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  • 1963
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    Tonight in Person

    Tonight in Person

    7 1963 HD

    A series of weekly programmes presenting music in the folk idiom from many parts of the world.

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  • 1956
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    The Steve Allen Show

    The Steve Allen Show

    5 1956 HD

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  • 1961
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    The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

    5.1 1961 HD

    The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much...

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  • 1972
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    A Kettle of Colour

    A Kettle of Colour

    1.8 1972 HD

    The show was meant to compete with those on West German television. To this end it was fairly successful even attracting a following in parts of West...

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  • 2013
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    Cachitos de hierro y cromo

    Cachitos de hierro y cromo

    7.7 2013 HD

    Cachitos de hierro y cromo is a Spanish musical-themed documentary program, directed by Jero Rodríguez and hosted by Virginia Díaz. It...

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  • 1978
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    Bio’s Bahnhof

    Bio’s Bahnhof

    1 1978 HD

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  • 1972
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    Le Grand Échiquier

    Le Grand Échiquier

    8 1972 HD

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  • 1988
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    Exiles

    Exiles

    1 1988 HD

    A series featuring six major artists and writers who live and work in exile.

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  • 1975
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    Numéro un

    Numéro un

    6 1975 HD

    A French variety show.

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