Mama Africa

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Mama Africa

2011

1h 31m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

The life and career of Miriam Makeba, South African singer and crusader against apartheid.

Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

Feb 8, 2018

A portrait of a woman ... whose dynamic range and earth-wide smile made the words and sounds pouring from her like a hand extended, a heart exposed, a story of the world made achingly real.

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Ben Kenigsberg

New York Times

Jan 18, 2018

Like many biographical documentaries, it resembles a lengthy highlight reel of crucial events from its subject's life, without much in the way of style or perspective.

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Serena Donadoni

Village Voice

Jan 17, 2018

This queen deserves a monarch-sized portrait that fully showcases her part in the tumultuous social, political, and cultural movements that reshaped the world around her.

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Kam Williams

Baret News

Jan 22, 2018

4/4

A fitting tribute to a rare talent who dedicated her life to the liberation of oppressed people all over the world.

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André Hereford

Film Journal International

Jan 19, 2018

Mama Africa, an intriguing but incomplete documentary portrait of Miriam Makeba, succeeds as a glowing introduction to her life and music.

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Craig D. Lindsey

Nashville Scene

Oct 13, 2017

Mama Africa shows how Miriam Makeba was the antithesis of a diva. Right up until her death in 2008, she was a woman who cared too damn much.

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Jun 9, 2012

What a strong voice, what a strong character! This seems to be a week of all kinds of awakenings and encounters with various artists and their music. Keep on clicking!!!

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Jan 6, 2012

The story is most interesting, I recommend.

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Mika Kaurismäki

Director

Miriam Makeba

Herself (archive footage)

Harry Belafonte

Himself (archive footage)

Kathleen Cleaver

Herself (as Kathleen Neal Cleaver)

Angélique Kidjo

Self

Stokely Carmichael

Himself (archive footage)

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Synopsis

The life and career of Miriam Makeba, South African singer and crusader against apartheid.

Director: Mika Kaurismäki
Producer: Rainer Kölmel
Screenwriter: Don Edkins, Mika Kaurismäki
Production Co: Starhaus Filmproduktion GmbH, Arte, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, Millennium Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 5, 2020
Runtime: 1h 31m

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