Miriam Makeba (Photo / britannica.com)
AFRO Staff
(November 10, 2008) - Anti-apartheid activist and Grammy Award-winning singer, Miriam Bakeba, died Monday. She was 76.
The South African folk singer, affectionately known as “Mama Africa,” apparently suffered a heart attack toward the end of a concert in southern Italy, where she performed for about 30 minutes, according to the ANSA news agency.
The news sent shockwaves of grief throughout South Africa. Arts and Culture Ministry spokesman Sandile Memeta described Makeba as a cultural icon.
“It’s a monumental loss not only to South African society in general but for humanity,” he said.
A pioneer in the anti-apartheid movement, Makeba first gained international recognition when she appeared in the 1959 anti-apartheid documentary Come Back, Africa. Her passport was subsequently revoked and she was unable to return home for her mother’s funeral a year later.
Many of her most popular international songs like “Pata Pata” and “Malaika” were banned on South African radio. Makeba remained exiled from South Africa for 30 years until the early 90s when the apartheid regime began to crumble.