Makeba would have been 89 yesterday

The Miriam Makeba Foundation announced it was the 89th birthday of the late singer yesterday.

In a statement the foundation said: “Our profound respect for the life of Mama Africa is rooted in the significance of the role she played in our nation’s history.

“Miriam Makeba’s pure vocal prowess enchanted audiences all over the country the moment they heard her sing.

“Once the world caught a glimpse of her innocent African beauty and the voice weaving stories of our African narrative they were no different.

“Makeba was a songbird destined to spread her wings, and fly all over the world, using her godgiven talents enthralling audiences wherever she went.

The inherent humanity of Makeba, pictured, was an expression of African beauty and talent that the rest of the world had never associated with the African continent.

She was also socially conscious and culturally comfortable.

Makeba reminded so many of us that despite the brutality of the apartheid South Africa regime that she was born into, man’s cruelty to another could never cancel out the reality that racism is ugly, dead-end hatred.

The ideals and values of Makeba live in the foundation which bears her name, and the Miriam Makeba Centre for Girls in Midrand.

These institutions give expression to the deeply held beliefs Makeba embraced throughout her lifetime, specifically, that women, and especially young women, deserve to have resources to empower those that society has disempowered.

The power of Mama Africa’s voice activates deep memoriesin so many of us.

– Citizen reporter

Man’s cruelty to another could never cancel out the reality that racism is ugly, dead-end hatred.

Miriam Makeba Foundation