The Voice of Africa (Remaster) Miriam Makeba

• 1 Nomthini 01:51
• 2 Willow Song (From Othello) 02:45
• 3 Langa More 02:20
• 4 Shihibolet 01:49
• 5 Tuson 01:58
• 6 Qhude 02:41
• 7 Mayibuye 02:45
• 8 Lovely Lies 02:42
• 9 Uyadela 02:30
• 10 Mamoriri 01:45
• 11 Le Fleuve 02:01
• 12 Come to Glory 02:30
• Total Runtime 27:37

Info for The Voice of Africa (Remaster)

Throughout her time as a concert singer in 1960s America Miriam Makeba was promoted as the embodied voice of a sonic, imagined Africa. Where her white audiences were attracted to the complete „otherness“ of her African blackness, her black American audiences saw themselves – or imagined versions of themselves – put on stage, and built solidarities between their own struggle and the struggle against apartheid. In this essay, I argue that the discourses that followed Makeba’s voice and body reflected the evolving attitudes of America towards Africa, and, through Africa, its contradictory relationship to its own African American citizens. Makeba played on these discourses to craft a political and musical identity in solidarity with black and diasporic causes. This identity, embodied in the persona of ‘‘Mama Africa,’’ allowed Makeba the flexibility to speak to and for her fellow (South) Africans with cultural authority. By joining the oft-opposed positions of „Africa“ and „The World,“ Makeba became what I’m calling an African Cosmopolitan.

Miriam Makeba, vocals
Morris Goldberg, alto saxophone
James Cleveland, trombone
Marvin Falcon, guitar
Samuel Brown, guitar
William Salter, bass
Auchee Lee, congas, drums Hugh Masekela, conductor, trumpet

Recorded 1964 at RCA Victor's Studio A, New York City
Recorded by Bob Simpson
Produced by Hugo & Luigi

Digitally remastered

Miriam Makeba
Died at the age of 76 on the 9th of November 2008 while on tour in Naples. In a career that spanned over 50 years. she began singing with the Manhattan Brothers, a traditional jazz, rag-time band that played to an exclusively black audience during the apartheid era in South Africa. She later formed the all female Skylarks. In 1959, she took the lead in the huge Broadway hit, King Kong, and received the chance to emigrate to the USA, when she was offered the star role in the anti-apartheid documentary 'Come Back Africa' in 1959 by independent filmmaker Lionel Rogosin.

Anti-Apartheid campaigning had always been a big part of Miriam's life and while in America she released an album with Harry Belafonte called 'An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba'. The album dealt with the problems black people suffered under apartheid. The album received a Grammy for 'Best folk recording'.

Because of her Anti-Apartheid campaigning, her South African passport and citizenship had been revoked by the South African Government. She had gained honorary citizenship in many countries after testifying against apartheid before the United Nations in 1963. She caused controversy in 1968 when she married political rights activist Stokely Carmichael, this resulted in all of her tours and record deals being cancelled in the USA. This resulted in her touring in Africa, Europe and South America from then on. She returned to South Africa in 1990 and since then made many film and TV appearances such as the film 'Sarafina!' and the documentary 'Amandla!'.

One of her most recent albums 'Homeland' was nominated for a Grammy. Her final tour was in support of an Italian writer Roberto Saviano in his campaign against the mafia-like organization Camorra. Mariam Suffered a heart attack after the gig and doctors were unable to revive her. She died standing for justice just like she had all of her life. Miriam helped bring African music to a global audience in the 1960s, and her music continues to play an important role in the growth of African music.

As well as Grammy nominations her lifetime achievements included many awards such as the 'Dag Hammarskjöld Peace Prize' in 1986, 'Otto Hahn Peace Medal' by the United Nations, and was voted 38th in the 100 Great South Africans in 2004.

This album contains no booklet.