61 Quotes by Miriam Makeba

Everybody now admits that apartheid was wrong, and all I did was tell the people who wanted to know where I come from how we lived in South Africa. I just told the world the truth. And if my truth then becomes political, I can't do anything about that.

I look at an ant and I see myself: a native South African, endowed by nature with a strength much greater than my size so I might cope with the weight of a racism that crushes my spirit.

And I believe that it becomes a troubled continent because there are those who must always cause confusion so that we do not keep these natural resources.

In the mind, in the heart, I was always home. I always imagined, really, going back home.

I have to go and say farewell to all the countries that I have been to, if I can. I am 73 now, it is taxing on me.

Well there is a lot of work here for younger and older musicians now. Our Ministry of Culture has now really embarked on changing things for artists, and it is getting much better. We just have to organize ourselves as artists, and then things will be better.

And why is our music called world music? I think people are being polite. What they want to say is that it's third world music. Like they use to call us under developed countries, now it has changed to developing countries, it's much more polite.

But if you are going to wear blinders then you do not know the world.

Age is getting to know all the ways the world turns, so that if you cannot turn the world the way you want, you can at least get out of the way so you won't get run over.