Somi: Re-Imagining Miriam Makeba

In the organizer's words:

In a loose series, HKW presents artists who have changed the world. Artists who have been anchored in people's collective consciousness for generations, shaping styles as musicians, but also as political role models and leading figures. One such artist is undoubtedly the singer and political activist Miriam Makeba. The largest and most beautiful event hall at HKW is named after her: the Miriam Makeba Auditorium with 1056 seats, excellent acoustics and a stage that can accommodate a 100-piece orchestra. The New York-based musician Somi is celebrating a tribute to Makeba's unique work at this venue with Re-Imagining Miriam Makeba.

Miriam Makeba was born in Johannesburg in 1932, during the apartheid regime, the daughter of a healer and a teacher. She gained her first musical experience in the school choir and later, like her mother, had to earn her living as a domestic help, but never gave up her ambitions as a singer. From 1953, she was active in various band projects and as a soloist, recorded her first records and played film roles that made her internationally famous. When she was refused re-entry to South Africa after a visit to the USA in 1959, she stayed in the USA and launched a global career. Her hits such as "Pata Pata" and "Malaika" are still known internationally. In 1963, Makeba addressed the UN General Assembly and called for the abolition of the apartheid regime, which subsequently revoked her South African citizenship. She toured all over the world and her records sold like hot cakes. She was married to the equally legendary jazz trumpeter and singer Hugh Masekela, with whom she also performed, and later to the Black Panther activist Stokely Carmichael, with whom she moved to Guinea under pressure from the US authorities. In 1990, she returned to South Africa for good at the request of Nelson Mandela. Throughout her life, Makeba combined her musical career with political statements, but also with social commitment. In 2008, she died in Italy after performing at a benefit concert for the author Roberto Saviano, who was threatened by the Mafia.

The New York singer, composer and actress Somi developed the idea of performing a program in Makeba's honour in the Miriam Makeba Auditorium at HKW. Somi Kakoma, known in the jazz world simply by her first name, was born in Illinois, where her parents had migrated from Rwanda and Uganda. She took an early interest in the musical connections between Africa and America. This interest was encouraged by her mentor Hugh Masekela. Somi is now a Grammy-nominated musician, acclaimed Broadway performer and playwright. In addition to classics by Miriam Makeba, to whom she will release the 2022 tribute album Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, Somi will also present old and new songs from her own repertoire at HKW.