Miriam Makeba recorded 'Pata Pata' in 1967 with the help of American producer Jerry Ragovoy. It became a huge hit and Miriam Makeba used newfound fame to speak the injustices of apartheid. Her records were banned and South Africa and she was forced to live in exile. Here, people from around the world share their stories about what this iconic track means to them. Actor John Kani grew up in Johannesburg remembers dancing to the song when it came on the radio and says that Miriam Makeba became an inspiration for how art could bring about change. He would meet her years later after a concert in New York, and again in Johannesburg after apartheid ended. Author of 'Makeba: the Miriam Makeba Story', Nomsa Mwamuka, charts the history of 'Pata Pata' and why Makeba would come to see it as "frivilous". Buks van Heerden is a pace-runner who has completed over 800 marathons. He plays 'Pata Pata' late in the race when the runners he's pacing are getting tired and says it always lifts the mood. Angelique Kidjo says Miriam Makeba was the first African woman on the cover of an album. Hearing 'Pata Pata' inspired her to perform, and later in life she and Makeba became friends. Dr. Niyi Coker devised 'Mama Africa: The Musical' in Cape Town when he realised that a younger generation of South Africans weren't aware of Miriam Makeba of her work. 'Pata Pata' would see two generations of 'Miriam' singing together and it would bring the house down. Produced for BBC Audio Bristol by Toby Field Technical Producer: Ilse Lademann Editor: Emma Harding With thanks to Rita Ray, Dr. Niyi Coker, and Moses Molapisane at the BBC bureau in Johannesburg.
I'm Rory Stewart, and I want to talk about ignorance.
I will die without having read everything that was written in classical Latin.
Because ignorance isn't simply the opposite of knowledge.
It's part of what it means to be human.
Just about every game I can think of involves ignorance.
There's no adventure without ignorance.
There's no narrative.
The long history of ignorance, from Confucius to QAnon.
With me, Rory Stewart.
Listen on BBC Sounds, BBC sounds music radio podcasts.
I was born in a township, New Brighton.
It's a two roomed house.
We are about eleven in the family.
We lived about 12 white Port Elizabeth, which had all the bright lights and all the beautiful things about humanity, about normality.
We grew up asking questions, why are we living this side of the city and they're living on the other side?
And our parents will always say, you asked too many questions.
Now, the only thing that kept us alive or kept some form of entertainment is when you had the radio and that it was, oh, my God.
We as little boys were not allowed to dance during the Pata Pata song because what the elderly people did, they started touching from the shoulder.
You touch, touch, you come to the waist.
Touch, touch, come to the posterior, where the bums are.