Miriam

As I have grown older, childhood memories of my time in Liberia seem to fade faster and faster. However one memory that remains fresh in my mind is that of hearing records of African singers that my mom use to play, one of which was undoubted Miriam Makeba. It took me many years to start appreciating her music on my own, but recently watching old concerts of hers reminded me of what a great musician and performer she was. While spreading knowledge about the struggles of black South Africans during apartheid, she managed to showcase the greatest of African music and just the beauty of African women. Just looking at the videos, one can't help but become hypnotized by her and what she represents. You can click here to read a good obit. In addition to the video below, you can click here to hear her very famous song Pata Pata as well as to see an great performance. Finally, to hear a beautiful example of her ability to cross genres, click here to hear her singing the Brazilian song Obove Obuva which is amazing.