The singer will pay homage to legendary artists such as ‘Mama Africa’ and Brenda Fassie
It was a chance encounter that would leave a lasting impression. In 1987 Yvonne Machaka, the South African rising superstar popularly known as Yvonne Chaka Chaka, was on her first visit to New York. By sheer coincidence she bumped into compatriot and close friend Ray Phiri on 42nd Street. He was in the US rehearsing for Paul Simon’s Graceland.
“He took me to an apartment — it was Miriam Makeba’s apartment,” Machaka tells me during a phone conversation earlier this week. “In my mind I said, ‘Kanti labantu bayaphila ngempela’ (So these people really exist). She was so beautiful.”
Then in exile from apartheid, Makeba’s warmth and humility left a deep mark on Machaka.
“When we entered the apartment, there she was, cooking. She said, ‘My child, I don’t think we will be able to come back home; the white people will never allow us to return.’”
Mimicking Makeba’s voice during our conversation, it was as if Mama Afrika was on the line with us.
Makeba added, “I am told that you and Brenda Fassie are now in charge of South Africa. Keep going, we are going to die in a foreign land.”
Despite the political hardships that kept Makeba away from her homeland for so long, she maintained a maternal connection with artists like Machaka, offering words of wisdom and encouragement.
“We kept in touch since that day,” Machaka recalls.
Machaka is, of course, a legend in her own right, but after all these years she is still in awe of Makeba.
She tells me a few anecdotes about her and Makeba, one on how she, Makeba and Nina Simone travelled to Nigeria and stayed in a big house. Laughing, she asked me not to tell anyone about what she told me. And who can say no to Machaka — or the Princess of Africa, as she was known in her heyday: it’s our little secret.
Machaka will dig into these mental and emotional archives this weekend at the annual DStv Delicious Festival, where she will pay tribute to one of South Africa’s most beloved voices, Makeba, who died in 2008.
Also, as part of the festival’s 30 Years of Creative Freedom Tribute Show, Ayanda Khumalo will pay homage to her late and legendary mother, Sibongile Khumalo, while Jesse Clegg will do the same for his late father, Johnny Clegg.
For Machaka, the tribute is more than a performance. It is a deeply personal journey that reflects the incredible effect Makeba had not only on the global music scene but on her own life and career.
“Miriam was like a mother to many of us, ‘Mazie,’ as we called her,” Machaka says.
“It was quite humbling for me when I heard I would give a tribute, and I was very happy to know that at least people still appreciate those who are gone.”
Makeba, whose music transcended borders and political barriers, continues to inspire artists around the world, and Machaka is no exception.
“For me, it is quite nostalgic. I am also going to be celebrating Brenda Fassie as well,” she says.
“I’m doing a Brenda song, a Miriam one, as well as one of my own. Their voices may be gone, but their music will always be there — alive.”
Makeba’s songs not only spoke of the beauty of Africa but also of the political struggles of her people during the apartheid era.
Despite being exiled from South Africa for her activism, Makeba’s music connected deeply with those she left behind, and her voice became synonymous with resistance and hope.
“She put South Africa on the world map. You would travel to Kenya, Zambia, or Germany, and people would ask, ‘How is Miriam Makeba?’ She was truly a global icon,” Machaka says.
Makeba’s legacy lives on in the many women she influenced. “You hear mam’Abigail Kubeka say that she was influenced by Miriam; you hear Mara Louw say that she too was influenced by Miriam,” Machaka says.
This influence came from women such as Thandi Klaasen and Dolly Rathebe, who in turn paved the way for a young Makeba herself.
Even though some of her music wasn’t recorded in South Africa because of its political content, Makeba’s presence was always felt.
“We knew there was Miriam Makeba, we knew there was Dolly Rathebe and Margaret Singana, and we were very much influenced by these women and many others,” Machaka recalls.
Machaka, too, has made her own mark in South African music and beyond. Songs such as Umqombothi and I’m in Love With a DJ have become timeless classics, loved across generations.
She sees herself as part of a lineage that includes Makeba, Fassie and many others. As she stands on the shoulders of giants, Machaka also acknowledges the progress the South African music industry has made since their time.
“Thirty years of democracy and so many musicians have come since Miriam’s time and since my time,” she reflects. “I am very happy with the kind of music that is there.
“We have seen music genres that are distinct. But you can play Weekend Special and people will still dance, play Umqombothi and people will still dance, play Zwakala and people will get up and dance.”
For the audience, this weekend’s tribute will be a powerful reminder that although people may die, the music, memories and lessons they left behind remain eternal.