21 November 2008
November 19, 2000 will forever remain indelible in my memory. For it was on this day that I not only finally realised the lifelong dream of meeting one of Africa's legends, but I also had the opportunity to spend an entire day with the internationally recognised musical icon, Mariam Makeba.
Since that memorable day, I have forever remained thankful to a former colleague and friend of mine, Mpho Maine-Oliphant, who had actually made that occasion possible. Maine had herself built a strong daughter-mother relationship with Makeba.
Upon arrival with my parents at the sprawling songbird's ranch around mid morning, we would be welcome by the calm and elderly voice of a female responding to our buzz at the intercom, "Oh! It is you, what took you so long?" Maine responded "Traffic Mama, traffic".
And thanks to Mama's humility, we were immediately exempted from fault for having arrived late. She would further let us off the hook, adding that she had also appreciated the long distance we had to cover coming from the east end of Johannesburg in Observatory up to the north suburban area.
The main gates had just started to slide open when Makeba welcomed us, at the same time asking Maine,: "Okay, you can come through, but are you with my friends from Botswana?". "Yebo Mama," Mma Maine answered.
The unbelievable and indeed exciting day that had already started unfolding ahead of us prompted me to ask our minder jokingly if she was sure we were not lost.
Finally, after a short drive from the gates, we were parked in the parking spot just opposite the foyer, where we found her waiting for us. The number of cars in the parking bay made us wonder what the occasion was.
We were only to get the answers later, inside the house. Barefoot and dressed in her African attire, wearing her beautiful trademark smile, Makeba greeted us in Setswana, "Dumelang Batswana bagaetsho, ba kae ko Botswana? - Hello my fellow Batswana , how are the people back home?"
After exchanging greetings, we were then led into Mama Afrika's beautiful house. Upon entering her house, it turned out to be a whole new experience as we were met by quite a number of friends, extended family members and visitors who were abuzz in almost every one of the many spacious rooms.
One immediately got the feeling they were entering into an art gallery upon seeing creatively framed pictures of hers, along with a collection of mostly African art and crafts. Other valuable pieces displayed in the passages ranged from ancient to contemporary European artists, like the legendary Picasso and Phillip van Gogh.
True to her African spirit, Mama Afrika seemed content in maintaining her roots a she had herself prepared a special dish of dumplings or matlebelekwane with goat tripe called serobe in Setswana.
"You have missed breakfast, lunch is just about ready," she said as she took us through her kitchen to show us what she was cooking. Also the lover of nature that she was, before we could settle down, Mazi took us out in the gardens of her homestead where she kept dogs, geese, chickens and beasts ranging from sheep to goats.
Intermittently, she would answer calls from either her cell-phone or landline and almost immediately attend to new visitors or bid others farewell. As we were seated later in the evening at the dining table, we could not help but wonder where the old woman was gathering all that amazing energy.
Having even done an interview with some American journalists in between, she played us some of her hit songs like Gauteng, which she dedicated to the migrant workers from the region (including Botswana) to Johannesburg and the famous Aluta Continua through which she paid tribute not only to Samora Machel of Mozambique, but also to the entire Frontline States for their role in the region's liberation struggle.
This was not just another courtesy call on the songbird since Maine and Makeba had also arranged that my mother's 30th wedding anniversary gown be tailored at Mama Afrika's home studios of Makeba's Designs for Welela Collections.
There I was with my family, relaxing, chatting and dining with Africa's First Lady of Song; an occasion a lot of people could only dream about. We bid each other farewell at around midnight that day, before reuniting at the fundraising concert for the installation of Kgosi Mosadi Seboko of Balete, where Makeba performed in 2003.
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