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Noah Counte

Hanging around in a one horse town

Miriam Makeba RIP

Tuesday, 11. November 2008, 00:06:23

Miriam Makeba, Mama Africa, died yesterday at the age of 78. She was a South African singer, who gained fame because of her voice and her strident political views, at a time when being black and South African meant living a life of persecution - especially if one spoke out against hte injustices of Apartheid.


Miriam Makeba - "Khawuleza" ca., 1966

Link for phonies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ure2RdTZm8c


She came to the US in 1959 to make a film about Apartheid. Her mother died while she was filming, and she found out that her citizenship had been revoked when she tried to go home for funeral.

She toured and travelled with Harry Belafonte, and much later with Paul Simon. She recorded with Nina Simone, Dizzy Gillespie, and other jazz greats, performed for Presidents Kennedy and Nelson Mandela.

She won the Dag Hammarskjöld Peace Prize in 1986, for her work against Apartheid.

You can enjoy her voice here, and as you can expect from me, this short playlist includes a couple of cover versions of US pop songs, along with the South African rhyhtms and jazz for which she was known.

Paul Simon and Miraim Makeba - "Under African Skies"

Link for phonies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB26L8nbRiw


Peter Tosh - "Mama Africa"

Link for phonies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ4M6OD1dA0

A Good MorningFor Some of My Opera Friends

Comments

Nerak 11. November 2008, 02:23

Sad, sad, sad. rip

qlue 11. November 2008, 19:28

:no::yikes::cry: How did I not get the news?

noah counte 11. November 2008, 21:05

South Africa lost a treasure, as did the world.

MConor 11. November 2008, 21:10

while i had no idea who she was....

It was good to sing a singer who actually cared about things and not just shiny cars and money

rip

themugs 13. November 2008, 05:21

Her voice will be missed.

I_ArtMan 14. November 2008, 02:01

i used to listen to makeba all the time in my teens. i wondered what happened to her just recently... may she rest in peace. :smile:

Nerak 14. November 2008, 02:26

Luckily, with technology being what it is, her voice need not be missed. :smile:

I guess that's one sorta good way to look at it.

I_ArtMan 14. November 2008, 05:18

a kind of immortality... yep :smile:

Nerak 14. November 2008, 05:51

:up:

Quinnuendo 16. November 2008, 00:07

went thru the playlist. nice things there. I didn't really know much about her before this.

sad to loose a nice voice, and maybe even more important a figher for freedom.

at least she wasn't too young. of course these days people can live more, but again...

lekrot 26. November 2008, 21:22

A great singer and person! Very nice post :smile:

noah counte 27. November 2008, 01:59

Thank you for dropping by, Torkel, and thank you for the nice comment.

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