Yvonne Chaka Chaka
| Yvonne Chaka Chaka | |
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Yvonne Chaka Chaka at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in 2012
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1965 Dobsonville, Soweto, South Africa |
| Children | 4 |
| Profession | Singer, songwriter, humanitarian, entrepreneur, teacher |
| Awards | WEF Crystal Award, 8th Most Powerful African, Top 100 Most Influential Women in the World |
| Website | www |
Yvonne Chaka Chaka (born Yvonne Machaka in 1965) is an internationally recognised and highly respected South African singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, humanitarian and teacher. Dubbed the "Princess of Africa" (a name she received after a 1990 tour), Chaka Chaka has been at the forefront of South African popular music for 27 years and has been popular in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Gabon, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. Songs like "I'm Burning Up", "Thank You Mister DJ", "I Cry for Freedom", "Makoti", "Motherland" and the ever-popular "Umqombothi" ("African Beer") ensured Yvonne's stardom. The song "Umqombothi" was featured in the opening scene of the 2004 movie Hotel Rwanda.
As a young performer Yvonne was the first Black child to appear on South African television in 1981. Since then, she has shared the stage with persons such as Bono, Angelique Kidjo, Annie Lennox, Youssou N’Dour, the classic rock band Queen and South Africans Johnny Clegg, Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela, to name a few. She has performed for HRM Queen Elizabeth II, US President Bill Clinton, South African President Thabo Mbeki and a host of other world leaders.
Yvonne is a champion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB 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.
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