logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2019
10m 7s

Nina Simone moves to Liberia

Bbc World Service
About this episode

The great African-American jazz singer Nina Simone moved to the Liberian capital Monrovia in September 1974. Simone was famous for her vocal support for the civil rights movement in the USA as well as for songs like I'm Feeling Good, Mississippi Goddam and I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free, and she was invited to the West African republic by her friend the singer Miriam Makeba.

Lucy Burns speaks to Nina Simone's friend James C Dennis Sr.

Picture: Nina Simone performs on stage at Newport Jazz Festival on July 4th 1968 in Newport, Rhode Island (David Redfern/Redferns)

Up next
Today
How BRICS got its name
In 2001, a few months after 9/11, economist Jim O’Neill was working at Goldman Sachs when he wrote a report about which countries might become big players in the world economy. That’s when he came up with the name BRIC - short for Brazil, Russia, India and China. At first, nothin ... Show More
9m 55s
Yesterday
Japan surrenders in Beijing
Eighty years ago, in the autumn of 1945, World War II surrender ceremonies took place across the Japanese Empire.The one in China was held at the Forbidden City in Beijing bringing an end to eight years of occupation. Thousands of people watched the incredible moment Japanese gen ... Show More
10m 12s
Oct 8
The remote island that was evacuated to 10,000km away
On 10 October 1961, a volcanic eruption threatened the population of Tristan da Cunha, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, and all 264 islanders were evacuated to the UK. Two years later, the majority voted to return. In an interview she gave to the BBC in 1961, M ... Show More
10m 43s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2021
Nina Simone y la guerra con canciones
Hay artistas que se han hecho famosos por sus letras, otros por su actitud, algunos lo tuvieron todos y luego está Nina Simone, cuyos temas propios removieron conciencias, pero que también, como Aretha Franklin, tuvieron la capacidad de hacer suya, y de nadie más, cualquier canci ... Show More
1h 1m
Mar 2024
Nina Simone | Breakdown | 3
Amidst marital and financial problems, Nina escapes the US for an eclectic life abroad - finding love in Barbados, happiness in Liberia, and a better education for her daughter in Switzerland. But mental health struggles soon come to the fore and before soon Nina Simone will reac ... Show More
40m 23s
Sep 2015
Miriam Makeba
The story of the great South African singer who spent 30 years in exile. She was invited to the United States in 1959 and became an overnight star, but was blocked from returning home by the South African apartheid regime. Known as Mama Africa by her millions of fans, she had a r ... Show More
9m 28s
Mar 2024
Nina Simone | Rebirth | 4
The tide is turning for Nina Simone. A new generation falls in love with her music, she's reconciled with her daughter and her mental health has recovered. But alongside the civil rights movement, Nina's significance as an activist is forgotten until recent events in the US give ... Show More
37m 13s
Mar 2024
Nina Simone | The Road to Carnegie Hall | 1
Born in the Jim Crow South, Nina Simone's talent is obvious from an early age. She dreams of becoming the first black classical pianist but after a life-changing rejection, she has no choice but to reinvent herself...You can listen to the songs mentioned in this series here: http ... Show More
48m 44s
Mar 2024
Nina Simone | To Be Young, Gifted and Black | 2
Nina Simone's star is rising - however cracks in her personal life are starting to show. Meanwhile, the civil rights movement is catching up with her. Where does she stand in the midst of this? And will she be on the right side of history?You can listen to the songs mentioned in ... Show More
47m 36s