South Africa's Music Icon And Actvist, Late Miriam Makeba Awarded Ubuntu Award 2013

 

The late South African Musical Icon And Social Rights Activist, Miriam “Mama Africa” Makeba, who is know all over the world for her love, care and concern for her community and Africa at large, has been awarded this year’s Ubuntu Honour by the National Heritage Council (NHC) in South Africa.

Telling the story of the life and  achievement of late Mama Africa is similar to telling the story of Africa's freedom fighters who fought  agains the occupation of Africa from the Europeans. In deed, that was her activity while she was alive. She did so through her numerous songs through out her life time.

In order honour her contribution to South Africa in particular, Africa in general and aiding the emancipation of black people world wide through her music, the National Heritage Council of South Africa (NHC) conferred the 2013 Ubuntu Honour on her.

 “The story of her life reads like a dictionary entry next to the word ‘ubuntu’,” NHC chief executive officer Sonwabile Mancotywa said as Makeba was honoured as the sixth recipient to receive the award. 

“She was not a politician but a revolutionary of a special demeanour... a cultural activist with no boundaries to her talent,” said Mancotywa. 

Previous recipients include Nelson Mandela (2006), Kenneth Kaunda (2007), Fidel Castro (2008), and Boutros Boutros-Ghali and King Sabata Dalindyebo (2009). Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who received the honour in 2011, presented the award to Makeba’s grandchildren, Nelson Lumumba Lee and Zenzi Monique Lee. 

  

Madikizela-Mandela said: “Values are not an individual expression but a socially lived one.” 

She said Makeba was not an entertainer who stayed away from politics but rather someone who saw and expressed the pain of her people, and she demonstrated that people could wage the good fight from where they were, as she had become a refugee after her passport was taken away. “A loving person… never allowed super-stardom to take her away from her people,” said Madikizela-Mandela.

MC Florence Masebe said Makeba was a true soldier of the soil who chose to fight with her voice and a microphone.

The Ubuntu Honour recognises individuals who have distinguished themselves as an embodiment and champions of values that are consistent with the ubuntu value system. It is a project of the NHC to harness this cultural value system as the common heritage of all South Africans. 

Sources: iol.co.za