1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi everyone, I'm Eves. Welcome to This Day 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,920 Speaker 1: in History Class, a show that will convince you that 4 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:13,200 Speaker 1: history can be fascinating even when you expect it not 5 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: to be. Today it's March fourth. The day was March fourth. Singer, actor, 6 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:33,599 Speaker 1: and activist Miriam Macaba was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. 7 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: Mccayba's mother was a domestic worker and a practitioner of 8 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: herbal medicine. When Macaba was just an infant, her mother 9 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: was imprisoned for a legally brewing beer, and Macayba spent 10 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:47,840 Speaker 1: the first months of her life in jail with her mother. 11 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: Macayba's father was a teacher, though he died when she 12 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: was just a child. After he died, Micaba went to 13 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: live with her grandmother in Pretoria for a while. Macaba 14 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: also spent time during tomestic work to help the family 15 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: make money. Miriam had a love for singing from a 16 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: young age. She's sang in a choir at her school, 17 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: and she's sang in church choirs, and she spoke and 18 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 1: sang in several languages. By the nineteen fifties, Macaba had 19 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 1: begun her professional musical career. She began singing with a 20 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: band called the Cuban Brothers and started getting attention on 21 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: the club circuit, but she picked up a lot more 22 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: attention when she joined the Manhattan Brothers, a popular South 23 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:33,279 Speaker 1: African singing group. She toured with them from nineteen fifty 24 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: four to nineteen fifty seven. After that, Macaba began singing 25 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: for an all woman group called the Sunbeams, who were 26 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:44,720 Speaker 1: later known as the Skylarks. By the late nineteen fifties, 27 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: Macaba was well known across South Africa. She had a 28 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:51,919 Speaker 1: singing role in the film Come Back Africa, and anti 29 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: apartheid movie that was released in nineteen fifty nine. She 30 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: was also the lead in Todd Matsakisas nineteen fifty nine 31 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: film Kong, which really kicked off her international career. After 32 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: the film showed at the Venice Film Festival, Macayba went 33 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: to London, where she met entertainer and activists Harry Belafonte. 34 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: Her singing attracted the interests of other American performers too, 35 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: and by nineteen fifty nine she settled in the US. 36 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: Macayba began performing in New York City clubs and got 37 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: a guest spot on The Steve Allen Show, an American 38 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:29,360 Speaker 1: variety show. But she wasn't only involved in music. She 39 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: was also vocal about her opposition to apartheid, a topic 40 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: that she explored in her songs. In nineteen sixty, South 41 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: Africa denied her reentry into the country, and she lived 42 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 1: in exile for the next three decades. In nineteen sixty three, 43 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: the South African government banned her songs and revoked her passport. 44 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: The next year, Macaba married her King Kong co star, 45 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: Hugh Masakela, so they divorced a couple of years later. 46 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: They continued to work together professionally throughout the early nineteen sixties. 47 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: She also had to deal with difficulties due to cervical cancer. 48 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty eight, Macaba married American activist Stokely Carmichael. 49 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:12,800 Speaker 1: Her affiliation with him affected her musical career, as many 50 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 1: of her shows were canceled. When her record label wouldn't 51 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: honor her contract in the US, she moved to Guinea 52 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: with Carmichael. The couple divorced in the late nineteen seventies, 53 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: but she continued performing in Europe and Africa, speaking on 54 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: social themes like freedom and social change. She performed in 55 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: South Africa in nineteen one for the first time since 56 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: her exile. Macayba died of a heart attack in two 57 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: thousand and eight. She had one child, Bongi Macaba, who 58 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: died in five I'm each deathcote and hopefully you know 59 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 60 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: If you've seen any good history means lately, you can 61 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 1: send them to us on social media at t d 62 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: i h C podcast asked if emails your thing, send 63 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: us a note at this day at iHeartMedia dot com. 64 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening and we'll see you tomorrow. For more 65 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 66 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:17,279 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.