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November 10, 2008

South African Singer Miriam Makeba Dies at 76
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1F40B7F:A6F02AD83191E160B32DD8BA4DF1F3D63CF5CDEF8FC051DA&
 
Singer best known as "Mama Africa" suffered heart attack after
performance in Naples, Italy 
Miriam Makeba performing in Castelvolturno, Italy, 09 Nov 2008Legendary
South African singer and anti-apartheid activist Miriam Makeba died
Monday at a hospital in Italy. She was 76.Makeba was a popular singer at
home before gaining international fame in a 1959 anti-apartheid
documentary, "Come Back, Africa". After that, South Africa's racist
regime forced her into exile. She was not permitted to return home until
1990, after Nelson Mandela's release from prison. In 1963, she called
for an international boycott of South Africa during testimony before a
U.N. special committee against apartheid. The South African government
responded by banning her records, including hits like "Pata Pata", "The
Click Song" and "Malaika."The singer, known to her fans as "Mama
Africa," was in Italy to perform in a concert against organized crime.
She fell ill after the performance and was taken to a hospital in the
southern city of Naples. The Italian news agency ANSA reports she
apparently suffered a heart attack. The South African Foreign Ministry
mourned her loss in a statement, saying one of the greatest songstresses
of our time has ceased to sing. Makeba received a folk music Grammy
Award along with singer/activist Harry Belafonte for a 1965 album they
recorded together. She was married to South African trumpeter Hugh
Masekela, and later to black activist Stokely Carmichael. Her
autobiographical book "Makeba: My Story" was released in 1988.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.


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