Miriam Makeba

Zenzile Miriam Makeba, known affectionately worldwide as 'Mama Africa', was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights icon. Rising from the townships of Johannesburg, Makeba blended jazz with traditional Xhosa and Zulu vocal styles. When the apartheid South African government revoked her citizenship and banned her records in 1960 after she testified at the United Nations against apartheid, she was exiled for thirty-one years.

Mentored by Harry Belafonte in the United States, Makeba became the first Black African musician to win a Grammy Award (in 1966). Her euphoric dance hit 'Pata Pata' (1967) became an international smash. Following Nelson Mandela's release from prison, Makeba returned home in triumph in 1990 as a revered mother of the nation.