There was a time, in the mid and late '80s, when South African apartheid was a prominent theme among more socially conscious musicians. Singer Miriam Makeba, a South African artist much at the nexus of the turmoil, has died after collapsing on stage in Italy. She was 76.
Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland was at that point the best fusion of African and Western music; one of the main reasons for its artistic success was his use of South African musicians. Yet Simon drew criticism for breaking a cultural boycott of South Africa, even though the artists he employed were black.
It was under these auspices that I found myself in Atlanta reviewing Simon's Graceland tour. Miriam Makeba was a guest artist, along with the a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and others.
Backstage after the show was like none I've seen before or since. The mood was serious not celebratory. In a large conference room, people milled around having serious conversations, sipping a bit of wine, seriously.
At one point, a protester verbally attacked Makeba, criticizing her for breaking the cultural embargo. The man got louder and louder. Makeba kept her cool, remained an elegant figure deserving of her nickname "Mama Africa."
As I recall, security did not step in to usher the protester out, which I thought was a magnanimous gesture. Simon tried to talk reason in that mild-manner, soft-spoken way of his. Finally, Makeba gracefully exited.
Makeba was an important and incendiary figure at the time. I interviewed her briefly and was taken with her dignity.
Here's a clip of a Makeba performance with Simon.
This article appears in Nov 5-11, 2008.