Miriam Makeba (1932-2008) was from South Africa and was a singer, songwriter, actress, and anti-apartheid activist. She started her singing career in the 1950s and moved to New York City in 1959. She was denied re-entry to her native country from 1960 until apartheid was dismantled in 1990.
"Pata Pata" (which means "touch touch" in Xhosa) was Ms. Makeba's only entry on the U.S. pop charts, reaching #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. She worked extensively with Harry Belafonte; the two won a Grammy Award in 1965 for Best Folk Recording. She was forced to exile herself from the United States when she married Black Panther activist Stokely Carmichael in 1968; she relocated to Guinea and continued her very successful career in Africa, Asia, and Europe.
After her return to South Africa, she was involved in children's charity work, including the Makeba Centre for Girls, which was a home for orphans. In 1999, she was named a Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Created June 23, 2026.