Mama Africa

Miriam Makeba’s talent and vibrant personality shine through award-winning director Mika Kaurismaki’s inspirational tribute. Packed with five decades of rare archival footage, the film is enriched by interviews with some of the key people who knew her as fellow musicians or activists. Exiled from South Africa for over thirty years, Makeba became a pariah in the US after marrying Black Panther Stokely Carmichael, leading to the couple’s move to Guinea. Not only did Makeba have to deal with forced exile from her homeland, she also suffered great personal losses. Her banishment by the SA government informed her art and performance style. Makeba’s legendary singing became a passionate message of black liberation to the world.