Posthumously labelled by Nelson Mandela as ‘South Africa’s first lady of song’, Miriam Makeba has been credited with bringing African music to the West. She was a vocal campaigner against apartheid and often used her songs to spread awareness internationally, though she maintained that her music was not political.
Month: October 2020
Mary Seacole – Mother of the Crimea
In 2007, Mary Seacole was introduced to the UK National Curriculum. Before this, her life went largely unrecognised, and only now is interest in her beginning to resurface.
Claudette Colvin – The Girl Who Came Before
The name ‘Rosa Parks’ is one that has been - deservedly - heralded globally as one of the first voices in the 1950s American Civil Rights Movement. Not many people know, however, that she was not the first; a girl named Claudette Colvin had been arrested for the same act nine months prior.
Phillis Wheatley – A Revolutionary Poet
In 1761, a young girl of seven or eight was taken from her home and sold into slavery. She became Phillis Wheatley, a woman who is now known as the first African-American author of a published book of poetry.
Eva Perón – Spiritual Leader of a Nation
Before she became Evita, Eva Duarte had to fight through life. Born into poverty, Eva struggled to make a living for herself in the politically turbulent Argentina. Nevertheless, she would soon rise through the ranks to become one of the most powerful people in the country.