Work / monument · song

Pata Pata

first recorded 1956 or 1959; best-known recording 1967 · 20th century

"Pata Pata" means "touch touch" in Xhosa, the language in which the song was first written and sung. It was also the name of a dance popular in the shebeens of Johannesburg's townships in the mid-1950s, in which partners patted each other in time to the music. Makeba's song was not the only one the dance inspired.

Songs in history

Pata Pata1956

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Pata Pata. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pata-pata
MLA
“Pata Pata.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pata-pata. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Pata Pata.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pata-pata.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Pata Pata’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pata-pata (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻