By: Natasha Archary
Midday Joy celebrates Women’s History Month with a focus on women who have influenced various aspects of the South African landscape.
Kicking off the month with Mama Africa herself, Dr. Miriam Makeba whose philanthropic and humanitarian work made her a UN Goodwill Ambassador.
Zenzile Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist.
Testifying before the UN committee on apartheid in SA in 1958, Miriam Makeba went on to become an international star. Educating the west on Africa and its people.
Despite her convictions on discrimination, fighting poverty and systemic ills of the world, Makeba maintained that she was not a politician, “just a little old singer.”
“Honestly, I’m just a little old singer, I am not a politician, I’m not an economist or anything of the sort. I just wish that people could be soldiers. We can all be soldiers not to fight against each other but to fight against poverty, illnesses, disease, greed and all the ills of the world, you know just be an army for all goodness”.
The late Her Excellency Goodwill Ambassador Dr. Miriam Makeba
After her passing on 9 November 2008, the Miriam Makeba Foundation has preserved her legacy and provides hope for destitute and abused girls.
The Makeba Centre for Girls, was founded by Mama Africa to provide professional counselling and support, a home environment, skills and development as well as practical and vocational training.
It was her vision to enable these girls, between 11 and 18-years to become self-sufficient and to prepare them for re-integration into society.
Miriam Makeba returned home to South Africa on 10 June 1990, after a newly free Nelson Mandela persuaded her. Sources say she returned with her French passport. Thomas And Skhumba in the Morning highlighted this historic day.
Having being permanently exiled by the apartheid government in 1960, Makeba came to be known as the woman with nine passports.
WATCH: Miriam Makeba’s 1969 interview
In a 1969 interview, Makeba was candid about the racism she experienced in Finland and South Africa.
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