Zenzile Miriam Makeba , nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she was an advocate against See more

United States
Breakthrough
Soon after the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, Makeba learned that her mother had died. When she tried to return home for the funeral, she found that her South African passport … See more

Following growing pressure from the anti-apartheid movement both domestically and internationally, in 1990 State President Frederik Willem de … See more

Musical influence
Makeba was among the most visible Africans in the US; as a result, she was often emblematic of … See more

Childhood and family
Zenzile Miriam Makeba was born on 4 March 1932 in the black township of Prospect, near Johannesburg, as the only child of her father and the sixth of her mother. Her Xhosa father, Caswell Makeba, was a … See more

Musical style
The groups with which Makeba began her career performed mbube, a style of vocal harmony which drew … See more

This is a list of albums and songs, including covers, by Miriam Makeba that have received significant mention in commentary about … See more