nPostednon March 4, 2015
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nShenturned the world onto African music.
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nShencampaigned against the bigotry of apartheid.
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nShenrecorded and toured with popular musicians such as Harry Belafontenand Paul Simon.
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nShenworked for civil rights.
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nToday’snbirthday, Miriam Makeba, was born in South Africa on this date inn1932. She spent her first six months in jail, because her mom wasnarrested for selling homemade beer when she was just 18 days old! n
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nAndnshe spent much of the first half of her life in another sort ofnprison – in the repressive, racially-segregated society callednapartheid. n
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nMakebanloved singing in a choir as a child, and as a young adult and breastncancer survivor she began to sing with groups and eventually as ansolo artist. n
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nButnshe dared to speak out against apartheid in a documentary and in herntravels as she performed and accepted awards. As revenge, the SouthnAfricans government cancelled her passport while she was out of thencountry. She tried to go home for her mother’s funeral and discoverednthat she was in exile! n
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| Makeba with Harry Belafonte |
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nMakebancame to the United States. She performed on The Steve AllennShow, signed with RCA, releasedna few studio albums, and sang with Harry Belafonte at U.S. PresidentnJohn F. Kennedy’s birthday party—and then met the President! n
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nShenalso continued to campaign against apartheid. When she testifiednagainst it before the U.N., her native country acted in revengenAGAIN. This time, her citizenship and right to return were revoked. nn
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| Makeba with Paul Simon |
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nWasnshe a woman without a country, then?
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nNo!nNine countries stepped up and issued her international passports, andnten countries granted her honorary citizenship! In a way, Makeba hadnMANY countries; in a way, she was a citizen of the world.
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nMakebanwon a Grammy Award in 1966. She was partly responsible for thenso-called “Afro” look of a natural, non-curled, non-straightenednhairstyle. Her song “Pata Pata” became a worldwide hit.
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| n n nnn n nChecknout Makeba’s most famous song.
n nInwas sure I had never heard it, but it turns
n noutnit was totally familiar to me! I was all,
“Oh! THAT song!!” n |
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nUnfortunately,nMakeba’s connection to the U.S. was damaged when she marriednTrinidad-born civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael. During thentime that she was not welcomed with open arms in the U.S., Makebanserved as Guinea’s official delegate to the U.N., and she won the DagnHammarskjold Peace Prize.
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nInnthe 1980s, though, she was back in the U.S. on a popular tour withnmusician Paul Simon.
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nWhennthe system of apartheid crumbled in 1991, Makeba was finally able tongo home!
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nAlsonon this date:
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Henry the Navigator’s birthday n
Henry the Navigator’s birthday n
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nMarchnForth on March Fourth
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nInventornGarrett Morgan’s birthday
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nAnniversarynof the discovery of the Orion Nebula
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nDiscover What Your Name Means Day
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nDiscover What Your Name Means Day
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nPlannahead:
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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n Marchn holidays
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nApriln holidays
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