Miriam Makeba

Grammy Award-winning South African singer, Miriam Makeba, also known as "Mama Afrika", was born on March 4th, 1932 in Johannesburg. She began her career singing with various groups before gaining recognition for her role in the musical King Kong in 1959. Makeba's talent caught the attention of Harry Belafonte, who invited her to America. Widely regarded as the first lady of South African traditional music, she became an international superstar in the USA and UK. Despite being exiled from her home country due to political unrest, Makeba eventually returned to South Africa once the situation improved.