Character Catalog

First album recorded in the United States, produced by Harry Belafonte. It introduced traditional African music to the Western world and established Makeba as a recognized international artist.

A popular song from the townships of Johannesburg that became a worldwide hit. Its unexpected success restored Makeba's international visibility and popularized African music around the globe.

A live album recorded with Harry Belafonte, awarded a Grammy Award. It cemented Miriam Makeba's place as one of the great voices of the civil rights movement on a global scale.

A landmark testimony delivered before the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid, which led to the revocation of Makeba's South African passport and established her as a major political figure.

An album that blends traditional African music, jazz, and protest songs, forming a foundational musical and activist work in her repertoire.

An album recorded in exile, entirely dedicated to traditional Xhosa songs and healers' music. A rare and precious testament to African oral tradition, it is considered her most personal work.

A world tour accompanying Paul Simon's album 'Graceland', which brought Miriam Makeba back into the international spotlight and introduced African music to a whole new generation of listeners.

I am a victim of apartheid, and I speak on behalf of all those who suffer under this regime. My people are deprived of fundamental rights, dignity, and freedom. I ask you to support our struggle for justice.

When I was told that my passport had been revoked and that I would not be able to return home, I understood that the government was trying to silence me. But my voice does not belong to apartheid.

For thirty-one years, I sang for my country from the outside. Today I return, and my music returns with me. South Africa is no longer the one I left behind.

Music is the weapon of the poor. When you have nothing left, you sing. And sometimes, that song changes the world.

A vibrant and cosmopolitan neighborhood of Johannesburg where Miriam Makeba grew up and first honed her musical skills in jazz clubs. Destroyed by the apartheid regime in 1955, Sophiatown remains a symbol of Black cultural resistance.

It was before the UN General Assembly that Miriam Makeba delivered her speeches against apartheid in 1964, becoming the first Black artist to bring this cause to the world diplomatic stage.

The city where Miriam Makeba lived in exile from 1968 to 1986, under the protection of President Sékou Touré. There she deepened her ties with Francophone African music and represented Guinea at the UN.

Her birthplace and the site of her triumphant return in 1990 after 31 years of exile. Makeba was welcomed as a national heroine during the first free elections of 1994.

A small town near Naples where Miriam Makeba collapsed on stage on November 9, 2008, during a solidarity concert, and passed away a few hours later. A place that became a symbol of her dedication until her very last moment.

Miriam Makeba proudly wore the colorful garments and hairstyles of her Xhosa people on stages around the world. For her, these clothes were a political act affirming the beauty and dignity of African culture in the face of colonial contempt.

The central tool of her life, the microphone was for Miriam Makeba a peaceful weapon. Through it, she carried the voice of oppressed South Africans into the world's greatest international venues.

In 1960, the South African government stripped her of her passport, condemning her to exile. This document, rendered useless, symbolizes the administrative violence of apartheid against those who dared to speak out.

Recorded in 1967, this single was an unexpected worldwide hit, introducing African music into millions of households across the globe. It remains her most iconic track.

Traditional African rhythms were at the heart of Miriam Makeba's performances. She reintroduced them on stage to evoke the African cultural roots that apartheid sought to erase.

Her letters and speeches at the United Nations between 1964 and 1975 form a unique body of work blending art and diplomacy. They bear witness to her role as an informal ambassador for the anti-apartheid cause.