Prospect, South Africa (March 4, 1932 -November 9, 2008)

Zenzile Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Her vocal talent was recognized in her childhood. She began singing professionally in the 1950s. Makeba moved to New York in 1959, making her US music debut on the Steve Allen Show in Los Angeles. Her career flourished. She released several albums and songs. Her most popular release was “Pata Pata.” She testified against the South African government at the United Nations. Additionally, she became involved in the civil rights movement. She married Stokely Carmichael, in 1968. The US government revoked her visa when she was traveling abroad. This forced her and Carmichael to relocate to Guinea.  She began to write music more explicitly critical of apartheid. She also performed these songs. The 1977 song “Soweto Blues” was about the Soweto uprising. It was written by her former husband Hugh Masekela. After apartheid was dismantled in 1990, Makeba returned to South Africa. She continued recording and performing. This included a 1991 album with Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie. She also appeared in the 1992 film Sarafina! She was named United Nations Goodwill Ambassador in 1999. Upon her death, former South African President Nelson Mandela remarked that “her music inspired a sense of hope in all of us.”