Miriam Makeba

Mama Diva

Paris 

25/05/2000 - 

"My life, my career, my songs, my concerts and the struggle for my people are all one," declared Miriam Makeba, the world's most famous African diva, after being exiled from her homeland. Born in Johannesburg in 1932, Makeba established a reputation as one of the music world's most outspoken militants, transforming her concerts into powerful political and personal manifestos.

Mama Makeba kept up her struggle against apartheid through thirty long years of exile, using her concert tours across the world as a platform from which to denounce racial discrimination. The singer also made speeches at the United Nations and travelled as an unofficial ambassadress, drumming up support from African governments. Finally, after three decades of separation from her homeland, Makeba was finally allowed to return to South Africa where she was feted as a living legend.

Makeba recorded a whole string of hits in the course of her international career, but none ever equalled the success of Pata Pata, a song she released in the late 50s but re-recorded in English in 1967. The song transformed the South African diva into an international star, but Makeba actually launched her career in Johannesburg where her amazing voice caused fans to dub her "The Nightingale". Makeba's lightning rise to fame was cut short after her controversial marriage to Black Panther leader Stokeley Carmichael, however. The singer's record label, RCA, instantly broke off her contract and she was rejected by the world of showbizz and denounced in the American media. Makeba and Carmichael eventually sought refuge in the Guinean capital, Conakry, where they were pursued by the FBI.

Makeba returned to the international music scene in style in 1986, performing on stage with Paul Simon on his Graceland tour. We caught up with the legendary African diva before her concerts at the Olympia in Paris and asked her a few questions about her new album, "Homeland"

RFI: Would you say "Homeland" bears a message of hope like your last album released in 1993?
I certainly hope so. There's one song, in particular - "Masakhane" - which calls for people to come together and work towards building the future of South Africa.
The country's been divided for too long. The future of South Africa lies in the hands of political leaders and those with economic power and it's about time they learned to share things. We've got to put an end to the gap between the haves and the have-nots. You know, I can remember the time when people were going hungry in South Africa, when we used to stand around town drooling over foods displayed in the shop windows which we didn't have access to. This sort of frustration has got no place in the new South Africa.

RFI: The Congolese singer Lokua Kanza was closely involved with the recording of your new album. How did you come to meet him? 
I met Lokua in Paris when I was round at the house of Raymond Doumbé, my Cameroonian bass-player. I listened to Lokua's album and instantly fell in love with his voice. But when I asked Lokua if he'd write a few songs for me, he was really modest about the whole thing. In fact, he was reluctant to even try at first. I remember him saying, "Me? Write songs for you? I can't - you're the woman who influenced me, who made me want to sing in the first place...". Anyway, I finally won him over and he ended up giving me six songs, four of which I used on the album.

RFI: "Homeland" includes a new version of your legendary hit "Pata Pata" - do you ever feel that you'll never get away from that song? 
I guess that's true in a way. "Pata Pata" is such a light, superficial song - almost to the point of being stupid - and yet that's the song which ended up being known all over the world. Unfortunately, many of my other more meaningful songs proved to be much less successful.

RFI: What justification do people have for talking about a "New South Africa"?
There's a whole heap of reasons. We've established a new democracy where everyone has the right to vote and children now have access to the same education system whether they're black or white. In the old days you had a handful of people deciding how the country should be run without ever once consulting the people. Decisions were made in utmost secrecy behind closed doors. But these days there's more transparency - things are debated in public and everyone knows exactly what's being said. These days political leaders are accountable for their actions.

RFI: Some South African artists take a much more pessimistic view of things than you. I'm thinking of people like Lucky Dube who's spoken out about corruption, which he describes as a "gangrene" eating away at the heart of the country …
He's right, but show me a country which doesn't have some form of corruption! ... The very fact that Lucky Dube can make remarks like this proves there's been some radical changes in South Africa. In the old days you couldn't make any kind of public criticism - anyone who dared to speak out like that in public was thrown into jail or forced into exile. This freedom of speech is one of the reasons we can now start talking about a "New South Africa".

CD Homeland / Putamayo - Harmonia Mundi

Miriam Makeba will be in concert at the Olympia, in Paris, on May 26th and 27th, in Johannesburg on June 3, in Amsterdam on June 12th and in Germany and Italy during June.

Patrick  Labesse

Translation : Julie  Street