Miriam Makeba

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/miriam-makeba

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Miriam Makeba born?March 4, 1932
2. When did Miriam Makeba die?November 9, 2008 (age 76)
3. Where was Miriam Makeba born?Johannesburg, South Africa
4. Who was Miriam Makeba and why is she called Mama Africa?Miriam Makeba was a famous singer from South Africa who used her music to speak out against injustice. She earned the nickname "Mama Africa" because she loved and celebrated African culture for people all over the world.
5. Why did Miriam Makeba leave South Africa in 1963?The apartheid government in South Africa threatened her because of her activism. To keep singing and fighting for freedom, she moved to the United States and lived there for many years.

Apartheid: A system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination enforced in South Africa from 1948 to 1994, which Makeba actively opposed.
Exile: The state of being barred from one's native country, often for political or punitive reasons, as experienced by Makeba for 30 years.
Cultural Ambassador: An individual who represents and promotes their nation's culture internationally, a role Makeba embodied through her music and advocacy.
Humanitarian: A person devoted to promoting human welfare and social reform, a characteristic central to Makeba's later career and activism.