Soon after the Sharpeville massacre in 1960 , Makeba learned that her mother had died . When she tried to return home for the funeral , she found that her South African passport had been cancelled . Two of Makeba 's family members were killed in the massacre . The incident left her concerned about her family , many of whom were still in South Africa , including her daughter : the nine-year-old Bongi joined her mother in the US in August 1960 . During her first few years in the US , Makeba had rarely sung explicitly political music , but her popularity had led to an increase in awareness of apartheid and the anti-apartheid movement . Following the Sharpeville killings , Makeba felt a responsibility to help , as she had been able to leave the country while others had not . From this point , she became an increasingly outspoken critic of apartheid and the white-minority government ; before the massacre , she had taken care to avoid overtly political statements in South Africa
Sharpeville massacre
Sharpeville massacre
Miriam Makeba