WHY MARIA MAKEBA BECAME CITIZEN OF 10 COUNTRIES

Who is Mariam Makeba?

Married to the leader of the Black Panther party in the US, a Pan-Africanist, and Revolutionary Kwame Toure, aka Stokley Camikel, Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, beauty queen, and civil rights activist whom many believed to have been the first African artist to popularize African music globally. Born 4th of March 1932 in Johannesburg, South Africa, died 10th of November 2008 in Italy, Makeba was a citizen of 10 different countries.

Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa as a singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist, associated herself with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music. She was an advocate against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa.

She was the first black musician to leave South Africa on account of apartheid, and over the years many others would follow her. Makeba took up refuge in London after the Venice film festival and met Harry Belafonte, who helped her to immigrate to the US.

Known to be one of the most visible and outspoken opponents of apartheid in SA, Miriam used her music, popularity, and profile to fight for the freedom of black South Africans. One of the significant moments in Makeba’s career was in 1963 when she testified against Apartheid in South Africa at the United Nations General Assembly, urging world leaders to support the fight against apartheid.

On this note, Makeba was hunted, stripped off her Nationality and Citizenship,  thus became stateless, but she was soon issued passports by different countries around the world, namely, Algeria, Guinea, Belgium and Ghana, Tanzania, Cuba. Throughout her lifetime she held nine passports and was granted honorary citizenship in ten countries.