Mama Afrika: Miriam Makeba

Just saw this film at the hotdocs film fest in Toronto. I knew nothing of the subject matter, Miriam Makeba heading into it. Being a music enthusiast I was excited to see this movie and expand my musical history knowledge. The story of Mama Africa was moving, emotional, inspirational and left me wanting to learn more about her and her music. But as a movie I felt it lacked a flow or cohesion. The film was done using mostly archival footage as Miriam Makeba died shortly before filming started, leaving the director with a very difficult task. I enjoyed the documentary but felt it was sort of thrown together with whatever pieces were available.

Watch this film to learn more about the story of Mama Africa.

It sometimes surprises me how people see films so differently. I read here another review of Mama Africa and disagree with what it says about the film. I also find the the subject matter very interesting, but I also find the film is very well made, the story was exceptionally well told and constructed. Besides being so informative, it is also very entertaining and emotional. My only concern during the film was, that I hoped it would not end. I saw the film at the Berlin Film Festival in February and my impression was that most people in the audience felt like me. I did hardly know anything about Miriam Makeba before seeing the film, but it made me her fan, what amazing woman she was.