Miriam Makeba, the world-renowned South African singer, has died at the age of 76 after being taken ill near the southern Italian town of Caserta.

Makeba died on Monday after taking part in a concert for Roberto Saviano, a writer threatened with death by the mafia, an Italian news agency said.

“I’m not yet absolutely certain of the causes of her passing, but she has had arthritis, severe arthritis, for some time,” her publicist told an Italian radio station.

Makeba was best known to her fans as ‘Mama Africa’ as she became the distinguished voice of Africa and a symbol of the fight against apartheid in her home country.
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Everyone called her Mama Afrika. Her voice was like a bird singing in a cage. Many of us grew up listening to her proud music. She was a steady fighter against racism and discrimination in her native South Africa. I will miss Miriam Makeba, as will a lot of other people in the world. Words escape me.

Early this morning, we lost one of our Mothers, Mama Afrika. I once had the privilege and pleasure of seeing Miriam Makeba at an open air concert here in London and she was everything beautiful and more. Activist and singer, Miriam Makeba brought us all so much with her music and her strong, proud, elegant persona and though she rests now with her ancestors she will aways be alive through her music.

RIP Mama Afrika

Video via Mshairi

Technorati: Miriam Makeba

Thanks to Suya Project on Nigeria Village Sq

Tags
Fela
DJ Fernando
Brazil

Every week Kikuyumoja [his blog] sends me at least 7 Del.icio.us links and I am very grateful as mostly they are gems and a few weird things like this exercise routine that would kill me if I dared to attempt it - which makes me wonder what he thinks of me! Here are a couple from this week.

Vieux Farka Toure is the son of the late maestro from Mali, Ali Farka Toure. You can buy and download his debut album here described as “Hendrix like allure” not sure about that as there is only one Hendrix. I cant help but compare him to his father which is probably not fair but there is a lack of maturity and inspiration in the music - Malian music is beginning to all sound the same. I would rather listen to Ali Farka Toure from 10 years ago than what is being produced now. Vieux has the name and opportunity to make changes so I hope he does and helps take the music out of the rut onto a new level.

Watch the “Legends of AfroBeat” by Raymond Dumas more background to Dumas film & music trips but I liked this piece of nostalgic Lagos / AfroBeat original

1970’s LAGOS was a vastly different place than it is today, it was a time when many of the rumors and myths of modern-day Nigeria were forged. Myths and images that persist today in magnified form - rampant corruption , unimaginable brutality dispensed by the police and military, a belligerent government of military dictators , and enormous disparities between rich and poor were all born during the 1970’s oil boom years. The great LEGENDS OF AFROBEAT drew upon these hardships to fuel their progressive new sound in an attempt to both entertain and warn the populace of the harder times to come. Now LAGOS may have descended to its worst depths in a long history of deprivation, where all the ill’s FELA sung of are commonplace, and his prophetic vision have become a reality.

In the enormous shanty towns of AJEGUNLE, MAKOKO and MUSHIN are huge labyrinthine streets, filled with notorious treachery, yet in this maze live some of the legendary band members of the afro beat revolution, and it is here that we have come to find them; a film crew armed with several 16mm AATON cameras, amplifiers and sound equipment, a security staff and a small convoy of land rovers determined to find THE LEGENDS OF AFRO BEAT in the vast, complicated countries of the West African gulf. We will film our search and attempt to piece together not only a foggy and incomplete recent history, but also attempt to restore to prominence the great music of the 1970’s West Africa. Hear the stories of these extraordinary men and women as we find them and proceed to return them to the stage beside their contemporary admirers at the up coming concert in BLACK STAR SQUARE

See Chris Abani’s novel “Graceland” on life in the shanty towns of Lagos

Tags:
AfroBeat
Lagos + 1970s
Mali
Vieux Farka Toure

I came across some new music over the weekend from a band called, Soulfège (’sOl-fezh) which goes under the name “Afropolitan Fusion” which I assume explains the mix of high energy AfroJazz, Hip-Hop and Reggae along with the conscious lyrics. They have recently released their second album “TakeBack TheMic” which was recorded in Accra, Boston, NY, LA & Kingston and can therefore be safely described as “global” as the music physically takes in all these locations.. The band is led by Ghanaian Ashong (see YouTube clip below) who also writes a blog at DNA - it’s a blog baby.

Links: Vanity Fair review

Tags:
Soulfège
AfroPolitan