She addressed the United Nations twice to advocate for the end of apartheid, demonstrating that music could be a formidable form of protest.
In 1966, she won a Grammy Award for Best Folk Recording for the album An Evening with Harry Belafonte and Miriam Makeba , making her the first African artist to receive the honor.
Makeba’s career spanned over five decades, during which she issued 29 solo albums and pioneered the "world music" genre long before the term existed.
Born in Johannesburg, Makeba grew up under a system that taught her black people were inferior. Despite these oppressive circumstances, she rose to prominence in the 1950s, recording the hit "Pata Pata" in 1957—a song that would later become a worldwide phenomenon.
She served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) from 1999 until her death, campaigning tirelessly against hunger. A Life of Sacrifice and Triumph Miriam Makeba ( November 9, 2008)