South African vocalist who was as comfortable in English or her native Xhosa as well as "Portuguese and Yiddish" (Jon Pareles, NY Times) she sang of love rather than protest but the lament and anguish in her voice spoke volumes about what it means to suffer.I remember loving her international hit, "Pata, Pata (the Click Song)" in 1967. She had already had her passport revoked by the apartheid government of South Africa and performed with Dr. King in the USA as part of the freedom movement. She married Stokley Carmichael - who became the inspiration for the Black Panthers while coordinating Mississippi summer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1964 - and came to embody what it mean to be "black and proud." "Prohibited from returning to South Africa, she settled instead in Guinea, in West Africa, where she participated in that country's government-assisted movement toward musical 'authenticite' - merging traditional styles with new instruments - and let her already vast repertory stretch further."
My reconnection with her music came through brother Paul Simon who enlisted her help during his 1987 "Graceland" tour which brought the music of South Africa - and their struggle - to new heights. Her reworking of Linda Ronstadt's part on "Under African Skies" is so moving I recently used it on this blog as a model of what might be should the US finally bring the Civil War to a close (which we did on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008!)
Nelson Mandela said, "she was the mother of our struggle and truly the first lady of South African song." Take a listen to Simon's introduction and then give thanks to "Moma Afrika" as she sings her heart out (Hugh Masekela, too!) May she rest in peace...
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