Welela

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title: "Welela" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["miriam-makeba-albums", "1989-albums", "mercury-records-albums"] description: "1989 studio album by Miriam Makeba" topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welela" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1989 studio album by Miriam Makeba ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

Field	Value
name	Welela
type	Album
artist	Miriam Makeba
cover	Welela MM.jpg
released	1989
genre	World
length	45:11
label	Phonocomp, Mercury
producer	Sipho Mabuse, Roberto Meglioli
prev_title	Sangoma
prev_year	1988
next_title	Eyes on Tomorrow
next_year	1991
::

| name = Welela | type = Album | artist = Miriam Makeba | cover = Welela MM.jpg | alt = | released = 1989 | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = World | length = 45:11 | label = Phonocomp, Mercury | producer = Sipho Mabuse, Roberto Meglioli | prev_title = Sangoma | prev_year = 1988 | next_title = Eyes on Tomorrow | next_year = 1991 Welela is an album by the South African musician Miriam Makeba, released in 1989. It was produced primarily by Sipho Mabuse.

Critical reception

| rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = | rev2 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | rev2score = | rev3 =Hi-Fi News & Record Review | rev3Score = A:1/2 The New York Times wrote that "Makeba mixes old and new on Welela, using a polished modern production to carry recent and traditional songs," and deemed "A Luta Continua" "one of the most infectious agitprop songs of the decade."

Track listing

1. "Amampondo" (Miriam Makeba) – 5:20
2. "African Sunset" (Sipho Mabuse) – 5:49
3. "Djiu De Galinha" (José Carlos Schwarz) – 4:08
4. "A luta continua" (Makeba) – 4:40
5. "Soweto Blues" (Hugh Masekela, S. Todd) – 4:18
6. "Welela" (Nelson Lee) – 3:18
7. "Hapo Zamani" (Makeba, Dorothy Masuka) – 4:29
8. "Pata Pata" (Makeba, Jerry Ragovoy) – 3:53
9. "Saduva" (Makeba) – 4:43
10. "Africa" (Keith Mathela) – 4:33

Personnel

• Miriam Makeba – Lead vocal
• Sipho Mabuse, Dorothy Masuka, Doreen Webster – Backing vocals
• Keith Mathela – Guitars
• Claude Deppa – Trumpet
• Claudio Pascoli, Michael "Bami" Rose – Sax
• Emmanuel "Chulo" Gatewood – Bass
• Damon Duewhite – Drums
• Smith Ailar – Percussion
• Loulou Laguerre – Keyboards

Production

• Produced by Sipho Mabuse & Roberto Meglioli
• Post-production by Allan Goldberg
• Recorded & engineered by Toby Alington & Jean Trenchant
• Mixed by Sipho Mabuse & Allan Goldberg

References

References

1. (27 Oct 1989). "Alternative Picks". Chicago Tribune.
2. {{AllMusic
3. (2011). "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music". Omnibus Press.
4. Hyder, Ken. (September 1989). "Review: Miriam Makeba — Welela". Link House Magazines Ltd.
5. (12 Nov 1989). "Pop/Jazz". The New York Times.

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