"And why is our music called world music? I think people are being polite. What they want to say is that it's third world music. Like they use to call us under developed countries, now it has changed to developing countries, it's much more polite"

Miriam Makeba’s words challenge the terminology used to describe non-Western music and the subtle biases that persist even in seemingly inclusive language. She draws attention to the label "world music", a term often reserved for music originating outside the Western cultural sphere. While at first glance "world music" appears neutral or even complimentary, Makeba suggests it is a sanitized replacement for categories laden with old colonial hierarchies, specifically, "third world music". The use of the term "world music" can obscure ongoing patterns of othering, as it clusters a vast array of musical styles, histories, and innovations from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere into a single, catch-all classification, often contrasted implicitly with the unmarked norm of Western music.

Makeba cleverly links this linguistic shift to the rhetoric of development, recalling how "underdeveloped countries" became "developing countries", the shift is not just one of words, but of attitudes and power. The implication is that renaming does not always signal real change; it can simply be a veneer of politeness masking a lack of understanding, respect, or equity. For Makeba, the persistence of terms like "world music" reveals how the music industry and cultural gatekeepers still categorize music from Africa or other non-Western regions as peripheral or secondary to dominant Western traditions, rather than seeing all music as equally valid cultural expressions.

Behind her statement lies a call for genuine recognition and respect, not only through inclusive language but through attitudes and practices that grant all cultures their place within the global artistic conversation. Makeba’s insight encourages listeners and industry leaders to examine not just the words they use, but the assumptions those words reveal, and to move beyond polite rebranding toward true appreciation and equality.