DALUVUYO MPUZI
5 April 2001
The late Miriam Makeba, a world-renowned South African singer, won Best Female Artist at the 7th annual South African Music Awards. This would be the first and only award she would receive at the ceremony. Although she was best known for her music, she was also an actress, civil rights activist, and a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, her most notable appearance in a film being in the critically acclaimed political drama movie Sarafina. She would later go on to win an award for Best Folk Recording posthumously at the 62nd annual Grammys alongside Harry Belafonte, for their collaborative album An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba. In early November 2008, she suffered a heart attack from which she did not recover.
16 April 1889
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, famously known as Charlie Chaplin, was born in London, England to an impoverished family. Considered a key figure in film history, he gained massive popularity with his comedic exploits in silent, and later sound films. He dealt with a fair share of hardship throughout his life, more so during his childhood as his mother was committed to a mental hospital when he was 14 years old. He would dedicate himself to the performing arts and participated in comedy and dancing shows. He accumulated popularity over the years, and he went on to win various awards at a multitude of events before his death in late 1977 at the age of 88.
26 April 1564
This date marks the birth of William Shakespeare, a well-known English poet, playwright and actor. Considered one of the greatest writers of all time, his individual impact on the English language and the performing arts is immense, so too is his gallery of highly praised works, including pieces such as Othello, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and a multitude of poems. Not much is known of his life as some things were not documented about him, and some documentation has disappeared with time. It is documented that he died in 1616 at the age of 52.
Visual: Jonathan Oladeji