Music
Peerless
Miriam Makeba
1932 – 2008
Mama Africa, who carried South African music and the case against apartheid around the world
Peerless is level 1 of 4 in the South Africa Hall of Fame: changed the field itself. Tell the country's story without them and the story breaks. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
She became one of the most prominent Black African performers of the twentieth century, and used every stage she reached to put apartheid in front of audiences who might otherwise have looked away.
Born in Prospect Township near Johannesburg in March 1932, Makeba came to international attention in the late 1950s and was exiled by the South African government for speaking against apartheid abroad.
Known everywhere as Mama Afrika, she spent three decades outside the country she was singing about, returning only after Mandela's release. She died in Castel Volturno, near Naples, in November 2008, after performing at a concert.
Known everywhere as Mama Afrika, she spent three decades outside the country she was singing about, returning only after Mandela's release. She died in Castel Volturno, near Naples, in November 2008, after performing at a concert.
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