Makeba 's career flourished in the United States , and she released several albums and songs , her most popular being " Pata Pata " ( 1967 ) . Along with Belafonte she received a Grammy Award for her 1965 album '' An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba '' . She testified against the South African government at the United Nations and became involved in the civil rights movement . She married Stokely Carmichael , a leader of the Black Panther Party , in 1968 . As a result , she lost support among white Americans and faced hostility from the US government , leading her and Carmichael to move to Guinea . She continued to perform , mostly in African countries , including at several independence celebrations . She began to write and perform music more explicitly critical of apartheid ; the 1977 song " Soweto Blues " , written by her former husband Hugh Masekela , was about the Soweto uprising . After apartheid was dismantled in 1990 , Makeba returned to South Africa . She continued recording and performing , including a 1991 album with Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie , and appeared in the 1992 film '' Sarafina ! '' . She was named a UN goodwill ambassador in 1999 , and campaigned for humanitarian causes . She died of a heart attack during a 2008 concert in Italy
Soweto uprising
Soweto uprising
Miriam Makeba