![]() She survived infancy incarceration, an abusive relationship, an ectopic pregnancy, cervical cancer, a hysterectomy, and the death of two of her grandchildren and her only child, Bongi. ![]() Or, as Warsan Shire penned down in a poem titled Ugly, ‘ she knows loss intimately.’ For starters, I deeply sympathized with her, for she was no stranger to loss and grief. And during the fall, it came to be! As I read the book, I was overwhelmed by a myriad of emotions. This summer, I promised myself that I would purchase her autobiography, Makeba: The Miriam Makeba Story. I had an unshakeable desire to learn about the woman behind the music, the life she led before the exile, who she loved, what brought her joy, among other things. And I found myself with a deep yearning to know Makeba’s life story in its entirety, not just the mainstream narrative that was readily available online. These are all questions I continuously asked myself. Was I placing too much emphasis on her art and social justice work? Was I idolizing her? Was I unconsciously projecting the strong Black woman trope onto her? Was I robbing her off of her humanity by reducing her to her life’s work? Never wife, daughter, mother,Īs a teenager, the following lines prompted me to rethink how I thought of her. My parents played your music at their wedding.Ĭalled you Makeba, never Miriam, never first name,Īlways singer. But when I finally did, the poem took on a completely different meaning. At first, it had not quite registered to me that Shire wrote about thee Mama Africa. Years later, Mama Makeba managed yet again to find her way into my mind and heart through a Warsan Shire poem titled Questions For Miriam. But I was not aware of her icon status, which she had rightfully earned after decades of showcasing her culture and advocating for the liberation of Black South Africans through her music. Little did I know of her brilliance outside of being an actress.īecause of the movie, I was privy to the fact that she could effortlessly carry a note. ![]() My favorite scene in the movie, where she sings a duet titled, Thank You Mama, with her on-screen daughter portrayed by Leleti Khumalo, would always pull me back in. ![]() At the curious age of seven, I would often find myself rewatching the acclaimed 1992 musical, Sarafina, where she had a supporting role. I have little recall of the exact moment it happened, but I grew up being enamored by Zenzile Miriam Makeba. ![]()
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