Her visa was revoked by the US government when she was traveling abroad, forcing her and Carmichael to relocate to Guinea.
As a result, she lost support among white Americans. She married Stokely Carmichael, a leader of the Black Panther Party, in 1968. She testified against the South African government at the United Nations and became involved in the civil rights movement. Along with Belafonte she received a Grammy Award for her 1965 album An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba. Makeba's career flourished in the United States, and she released several albums and songs, her most popular being " Pata Pata" (1967). Her attempt to return to South Africa that year for her mother's funeral was prevented by the country's government. She moved to New York City, where she became immediately popular, and recorded her first solo album in 1960. In London, she met the American singer Harry Belafonte, who became a mentor and colleague. In 1959, Makeba had a brief role in the anti-apartheid film Come Back, Africa, which brought her international attention, and led to her performing in Venice, London, and New York City. Her vocal talent had been recognized when she was a child, and she began singing professionally in the 1950s, with the Cuban Brothers, the Manhattan Brothers, and an all-woman group, the Skylarks, performing a mixture of jazz, traditional African melodies, and Western popular music. She had a brief and allegedly abusive first marriage at the age of 17, gave birth to her only child in 1950, and survived breast cancer.
Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she was an advocate against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa.īorn in Johannesburg to Swazi and Xhosa parents, Makeba was forced to find employment as a child after the death of her father. Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist.
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