South African singer Zenzi Miriam Makeba was a world-renowned symbol of the fight against apartheid. Raised in segregated Sophiatown, she began singing at a ver early age. As her career took off, she was featured on various recordings and in the documentary “Come Back, Africa” which caught the attention of Harry Belafonte. She relocated to the United states, and after a year of success through anti-apartheid songs, she was barred re-entry South Africa. She married activist Stokely Carmichael andbegan touring African and Europe. Her talent and her militant engagements made her an icon in the defense of human rights.
She appeared at jazz festivals like the Montreux in Berlin. It was during this period that Makeba addressed the United Nations’ General Assembly twice, speaking out against apartheid as a Guinean delegate to the United Nations (UN). In 1986, she was awarded the Dag Hammerskjold Peace Prize from the Diplomatic Academy for Peace.
In 1990, African National Congress (ANC) leader Nelson Mandela was freed from 27 years in prison, and encouraged Miriam Makeba to return to South Africa. She returned, after 31 years in exile, and became a goodwill ambassador for South Africa to the United Nations. Makeba has received honorary doctorates from both local and international academic institutions. The city of Berkeley proclaimed the 16 June to be Miriam Makeba Day and she has received the highest decoration from Tunisia. In 1999, Nelson Mandela presented her with the Presidential Award.
She continued touring and fighting for human rights for the rest of her life.
