WomenArts joins fans around the world in mourning the death of the legendary Argentine folk singer and human rights activist, Mercedes Sosa. Sosa was forced into exile in the 1970’s by the military dictatorship, but she never backed down. She outlived the dictatorship and was able to return to Argentina in 1982. She recorded more than 70 albums and was a three-time Latin Grammy winner.

Her relatives have asked fans to honor her memory by singing. In that spirit, we have pasted the clip below that shows her singing one of her most popular songs, “Gracias A La Vida”, or “Thanks to Life.” The song is from a 1972 album that honored the late Chilean poet and singer Violeta Parra with interpretations of some of her poems.

You can read more about Sosa and find a translation of this song by clicking here>>  There are numerous articles online about her funeral (like this New York Daily News article or this AFP article). Here is a link to an article about her in Wikipedia.