1st Student's Major
History
1st Student's College
Humanities and Social Sciences
Students' Professional Biography
Maddie Heiser is a history student at Minnesota State University. She was born and raised in Mankato and originally centered her educational goals around becoming a veterinarian. After graduating with a BS in Animal Science from University of Wisconsin in River Falls in 2021, her course of study changed to history, and she graduated from MSU Mankato in the fall of 2024 with a BA in History. This article was completed during her spring 2024 history seminar course. Now graduated, Maddie intends to enter into a medieval studies master's program, integrating her animal science and history backgrounds by focusing on knights of the Middle Ages and their war horses.
Mentor's Name
Dr. Agnes Odinga-Oluoch
Mentor's Email Address
agnes.odinga@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Gender and Women's Studies, History
Mentor's College
Humanities and Social Sciences
Abstract
Perhaps one of the most notorious periods in African history was that of Apartheid – a system of racial, political, social, and economic discrimination placed upon the non-white majority of South Africa. Beginning in 1948 and lasting until the early 1990s, Apartheid marked a significant transformation in not only African liberation movements but also those happening across the globe, including the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. While the efforts to overcome Apartheid and empower the overall messages of African liberation and solidarity are well-documented, there are several methods of achieving these goals that have been unfortunately overlooked. Figures such as Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko have become synonymous with the fight against Apartheid in the political and judicial spheres, but one incredibly effective sphere has remained somewhat shrouded in the background: music. During Apartheid, a woman by the name of Miriam Makeba used her music to spread messages about black South African community and resilience while simultaneously reflecting on the struggles of black South Africans among the discrimination and oppression they were experiencing. This project’s purpose is to analyze and discuss Miriam Makeba’s role in the Anti-Apartheid Movement through the lens of her music and acting career, and it will cover the Anti-Apartheid Movement as a whole using a variety of sources, including films, journal articles, documentaries, and more.
Recommended Citation
Heiser, M. (2025). From "Pata Pata" to Come Back, Africa: Miriam Makeba and her fight against Apartheid, 1953-1990. Journal of Undergraduate Research, 25(1), 68-98. https://doi.org/10.56816/2378-6949.1232
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Africana Studies Commons, African History Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Music Commons, Women's Studies Commons