Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932-9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, actress, United Nations goodwill ambassador, and civil-rights activist.

In her career, she experimented with musical genres as diverse as Afropop, jazz, and world music. She was a leader in the movement against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa, and also lent aid to the Civil Rights movement in the USA.