I look at an ant and I see myself: a native South African, endowed by nature with a strength much greater than my size so I might cope with a racism that crushes my spirit. I look at a bird and I see myself: a native South African, soaring above the injustices of apartheid on the wings of pride, the pride of a beautiful people. I look at a stream and I see myself: a native South African, flowing irresistibly over hard obstacles until they become smooth and, one day, disappear — flowing from an origin that has been forgotten toward an end that will never be.

— From “Makeba: My Story”