The life of a Hero.... Part 1

Zenzile Miriam Makeba popularly known as “Miriam Makeba”, was born on the 4^th March 1932 in a poor black household in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her Swazi mother, Christian Makeba was a traditional healer and a domestic worker and her Xhosa father, Caswell Makeba was a teacher. His father died when she was just six years. Miriam Makeba was born into a family of musicians, her mother played several traditional instruments and the father played piano. Miriam had a very tough life ever since she was conceived, her mother was arrested and sentenced to a six month jail for selling a homemade beer brewed from malt and cornmeal which was illegal to sell and produce in South Africa. As a result Miriam had to spend her first six months in jail with her mother.

Miriam attended Kilnerton Training Institute in her hometown, an all-black Methodist Primary School for eight years. She started singing in the choir, sowing the seeds of a future which was filled with music in its every pore. As she grew up, she started singing in English as well along with traditional African songs (Xhosa, Sutho and Zulu). When her father died, Miriam was forced to find employment despite she being small child, she did domestic work and worked as nanny.

At the age of 17, Miriam got married to a James Kubay a policeman, with whom she had her only child, Bongi Makeba. A year later, Miriam Makeba was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Her mother, who also happened to be a traditional healer, cured her. Later Miriam found a new way to grow around her troubles and started working on her music.

As young as she was, she never gave up on herself, despite all that she went through she still found joy and confident in her gifted talent, music. Music was food to her soul, she never stopped singing, she sung and sung till ……..

Source: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/miriam-makeba-mn0000496097/biography