Miriam Makeba and Nigeria's Ambassador to Israel

On Saturday night, as I gorged myself on Nigerian and Ethiopian food in the backyard of the home of the Nigerian ambassador to Israel, the song Pata Pata came over the speakers. I love Pata Pata, by the South African Miriam Makeba, and I took it as an augur of a great party.

The occasion was a fundraiser to benefit Darfur refugees in Israel; a 50 shekel cover meant all you can eat and drink, and bartenders were pouring Bailey's as though it were chocolate milk. The music continued to be phenomenal, and by the end of the night I had danced with the ambassador's daughter.


I was dismayed to find out the next day that one of Africa's most prominent singers is no longer with us. Makeba was born in a Johannesburg ghetto in 1932, worked as a maid to wealthy white families, got pregnant at 17 and later married a man who beat her. But after a cameo in the film "Come Back, Africa," she became well known in Europe and sought-after by American producers.

Makeba's upbeat and catchy tunes, ribbed with African flavor, gave her a fame she used to agitate against apartheid at home and racism elsewhere in the world. She was exiled from South Africa for 30 years because of the political nature of her music, and only welcomed back with the fall of apartheid. Her music gives off a feeling of sheer happiness at being alive and able to dance. It's absolutely worth a listen, which you can do here. Miriam Makeba was 76 and she died after giving a concert in Italy. Rest in peace.