WKCR announces a day of much-awaited programming: a 24-hour broadcast celebrating the birthday of Miriam Makeba on FM and HD radio and online, from 12:00am on Monday, March 4th, to 12:00am on Tuesday, March 5th, of 2024. It will run from the conclusion of the Back in the USSR on Sunday until Urbano Latinx on Tuesday. The broadcast will preempt all regularly-scheduled Monday programming.

This special broadcast will honor Zenzile Miriam Makeba, also known by the nickname Mama Africa, who was born in Johannesburg on March 4th of 1932. Makeba has performed all over the world, playing everything from mbube to African jazz to Afropop, and singing in several languages including English and Xhosa. She had a distinct, dynamic voice, an influential style in every sense of the word, and an unwavering devotion to justice, equity, and the end of apartheid. She was a symbol of and a voice for resistance against oppression, noting once, “people say I sing politics, but what I sing is not politics, it is the truth.” The broadcast will aim to highlight that truth so that we can all hear and remember her. Her legacy and music continue to inspire us, and countless others, to this day.

It is difficult to write of such a prolific, great artist in so few words. We hope that this programming will communicate her influence, personality and artistry as thoroughly and as gratefully as possible.

The broadcast will feature live programming from Makeba’s discography, which consists of over fifty releases. A programming schedule for the special broadcast is forthcoming. Follow WKCR on Instagram (@wkcr) and Twitter (@WKCRFM) for further updates. Online listening is available 24/7 at wkcr.org via our web stream!