Miriam Makeba.

Miriam Makeba was born on 4 March 1932 in Prospect Township, near Johannesburg, South Africa, with the birth name Zenzile Miriam Makeba. Her full name, as she later explained in Time magazine, includes all the names of her male ancestors, a Xhosa tradition. Growing up in a township, she began singing in local churches and clubs, and by her teens she was performing professionally. The apartheid environment shaped her early consciousness, but her powerful voice offered an escape.

Harry Belafonte discovered Makeba after seeing her in the independent film Come Back, Africa 1959, which led to her U.S. concert debut and a recording contract with RCA Victor. Their collaboration, An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba 1965, won a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Recording, making her the first African woman to win the award. She released iconic albums like Pata Pata and The Voice of Africa, blending traditional South African sounds with global pop. On screen, she played Angelina in Sarafina! 1992 and appeared in Transamerica 2005 and Bobby 2006. Makeba used her platform to speak out against apartheid, testifying before the United Nations and earning the nickname Mama Africa.

Makeba married three times: to musician Hugh Masekela from 1964 to 1966, to activist Stokely Carmichael later Kwame Ture from 1968 to 1978, and briefly to Sonny Pilay in 1959. She had one child, Bongi Makeba, who later became a singer. Because of her activism, the South African government revoked her passport while she was abroad, preventing her from attending her mother’s funeral. Makeba lived in exile for 31 years, first in the United States and later in Guinea, where she became a UN representative.

Miriam Makeba’s legacy as the first African woman to win a Grammy endures. She received numerous honors including the Polar Music Prize, the Otto Hahn Peace Medal, and the Order of Ikhamanga from South Africa. She was also named Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres and Commander of the Legion of Honour in France. Her activism allowed future musicians to speak out on social issues. Most remember her as Mama Africa, the voice that brought African music to the world stage and fought against apartheid.