(2021-0242-F Segment 1) Miriam Makeba

The materials in FOIA 2021-0242-F (Segment 1) are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. Mama Africa, Zenzile Miriam Makeba, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa March 4, 1932. Makeba began singing in the 1950s, first with South African groups the Cuban Brothers and the Manhattan Brothers. Then in 1956 the song “Lovely Lies”, sung by Makeba, was the first South African song to chart on the U.S. Billboard Top 100. In the late 1950s, Makeba met Harry Belafonte in London. Belafonte assisted Makeba in the industry and about 1959 assisted her move to New York, New York. In 1960, her mother and two family members were killed in the Sharpeville Massacre and Makeba’s passport was later revoked by the South African government. Makeba lived in exile from South Africa and would not return until invited by Nelson Mandela in 1991. Mama Africa had a flourishing career and toured internationally for decades. With Harry Belafonte, Makeba won a Grammy Award in 1965. About 1968, Makeba was denied a Visa in the United States and moved to Guinea, later to Belgium. She did not return to the U.S. until 1987. She died of a heart attack following a concert in Italy in 2008. Records in this FOIA collection include emails and cables related to Makeba performing and the funeral of Kwame Ture. This collection dates from April 1996 to September 2000.