Mama Africa

The documentary tells the fifty years of Miriam Makeba’s music and performing life. Makeba was one of the first African musicians to reach international fame, and her music stayed anchored in her South African roots. She was forced into exile in 1959. She sang for John F. Kennedy, appeared on stage with Harry Belafonte and Nina Simone, and became one of the best known voices in the fight against apartheid. She died in November 2008 after a concert in Italy. The film brings together rare archive footage and interviews with people who knew her. The account shows what exile cost as well: the long years that passed without her being able to return to her own country. Mika Kaurismaki’s ninety two minute documentary was completed in 2011.