Yvonne Chaka Chaka | |
|---|---|
 Chaka Chaka at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in 2012 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Yvonne Machaka 18 March 1965 Dobsonville, Soweto, South Africa |
| Children | 5[1] |
| Profession | Singer, songwriter, humanitarian, entrepreneur, teacher |
| Awards | WEF Crystal Award, 8th-Most-Powerful African,[2] Top 100 Most Influential Women in the World[3] Global Good Award (2017 BET Awards) |
| Website | www |
Yvonne Chaka Chaka OIS (born Yvonne Machaka on 18 March 1965) is a South African singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, humanitarian and teacher. Dubbed the "Princess of Africa" (on a 1990 tour),[4] Chaka Chaka has been at the forefront of South African popular music for 35 years and has been popular in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Gabon, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast.[4] Songs such as "I'm Burning Up", "Thank You Mr. DJ", "I Cry For Freedom", "Motherland" and the ever-popular "Umqombothi" ("African Beer") ensured Chaka Chaka's stardom. The song "Umqombothi" was featured in the opening scene of the 2004 movie Hotel Rwanda.
As a young performer, Chaka Chaka was the first Black child[5] to appear on South African television in 1981. Since then, she has shared the stage with people such as Bono, Angélique Kidjo, Annie Lennox, Youssou N'Dour, the crossover group Appassionante, the classic rock band Queen and South Africans Johnny Clegg, Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. She has performed for Queen Elizabeth II, US President Bill Clinton, South African President Thabo Mbeki and other world leaders.
Chaka Chaka is a champion for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the United Nations MDG Envoy for Africa, and the Goodwill Ambassador for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. She was chosen by Nelson Mandela as the first ambassador for his children's fund, and has also established her own charity, the Princess of Africa Foundation, using the name first given to her in Uganda. The Princess of Africa Foundation is a partner of the ACTION global health advocacy partnership. In 2012, she was the first African woman to receive the World Economic Forum's Crystal Award.
She teaches literacy part-time at the University of South Africa, sits on several boards of charitable organisations and NGOs, and serves on the board of the Johannesburg Tourism Company.
- ^ Yvonne Chaka Chaka - Insert, 2012.01.27
- ^ Nsehe, Mfonobong. "Chinua Achebe, 80, Nigerian, Novelist - In Photos: The 40 Most Powerful Celebrities In Africa". Forbes.
- ^ Women Deliver 2010. "Women Deliver » Knowledge Center » Women Deliver Publications » Women Deliver 100 (2011) » Women Deliver 100: 1 - 25". Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Mojapelo, Max (2008). "Beyond Memory: Recording the History, Moments and Memories of South African Music". African Minds. p. 98. ISBN 978-1920299286. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ "About Yvonne Chaka Chaka". Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2015.