HOUSE OF MYRIAM MAKEBA

when President Sékou Touré asked me: "If you were to come and settle in Guinea, where would you like to stay? I answered that I would choose the region of Dalaba, because it reminds me a lot of my country when I am there These are the words of Myriam Makeba during an interview conducted in her house in Dalaba in 1981. This house, which still testifies today to the love that the singer had for Dalaba, is unfortunately in great danger. Left to itself, it is in a pitiful state, cracked everywhere, nibbled by time and humidity. Yet this house - for the house has the round shape of the Fouta huts - could and even should be a place of memory and culture, where new generations could learn about who "Mama Afrika" was, her history and her musical heritage. Nowadays, the house can still be visited despite its condition. A few volunteers try to preserve the essentials, such as replacing damaged roof sheets or cleaning the main room from time to time. A janitor, who more or less maintains the garden, opens the doors to passing visitors. The opportunity to discover some furniture, objects and trinkets left by the singer, and especially the unique decoration of her interior. For how long, no one knows. So if you pass by there, do not hesitate to make a small stop there because even if its state makes of the pain to see, emerges from it a singular atmosphere!