fb
  • home Home
  • keyboard_arrow_right PRESS OFFICE
  • keyboard_arrow_right Posts
  • keyboard_arrow_rightTo Bra Hugh, from the mouths of babes

To Bra Hugh, from the mouths of babes

By Gomolemo Lesejane

The time is 21:22 in Johannesburg and I’m finally home from work: bra-less and void of the many things that had demanded my attention earlier today on Tuesday, 23 January. I’m home and for the first time since I’ve heard of the passing of Hugh Masekela, I have a moment alone. In the last 12 or so hours, I’ve had people calling and texting to express their devastation at the news we all knew would come soon. Colleagues, relatives, Tweeps and lovers from a past life have, for me, softened the blow by sharing their earnest tributes of what Bra Hugh’s music and activism has meant for them.

It continues to fascinate me how this one man, that many of us had never met, apart from watching him perform live amongst scores of other people, felt like a part of us. We felt so connected to him and we are deeply affected by his death. How, like Ray Phiri and Stimela, Brenda and the Big Dudes, Tshepo Tshola and Sankomota, Jonas Gwangwa, Fela Kuti, Oliver Mtukudzi and Abdullah Ibrahim, Ntate Hugh sang and trumpeted his way into our childhoods. How even during the confusion and haphazardness of raising black and brown babies in post-apartheid South Africa, our parents seemed lighter and freer and happier when they were immersed in the sounds of these and many other South African musicians. Our parents’ carefree dancing would often be followed by quips of “Waar was jy? This is music!” while gesturing as if to play an air guitar or blow on an imaginary trumpet.

At age 16, my father decided that my brother and I should read “STILL GRAZING: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela”. I imagine it was important to him that I know and understand the man behind some of our most treasured musical productions; but, in hindsight, I realise it probably had to do more with wanting us to be aware of a history told in such a nuanced and textured manner.

At 23, less naïve and slightly jaded about love and liberation, I picked up the book again – this time at the insistence of my brother. The text, for all intents and purposes, said the same thing. But my interpretation was strikingly different. Time had made it more layered. It varied the way in which I engaged migrant labour and relations between Africans on the continent and in the diaspora. Bra Hugh’s repeated attacks on black women who chose to wear weaves – ones that had earned him the label of being a “problematic fave” on the Twitter streets – was better contextualised after we reacquainted. I had a new reverence for Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone – black women who were “insufferable” feminists during a time when it was neither fashionable nor rewarding. I began to draw parallels and intersections between a young Hugh in Alexander and my grandmother Daphne’s childhood in Sophiatown before forced removals were something neither of them could have imagined.

It’s never been in question that our greatest inheritance as African children lies in the histories, stories and contexts that have been distorted and white-washed for years. Time’s not on our side and I applaud younger artists who’ve made the effort to learn from and collaborate with legends from a different time. Intergenerational dialogues must happen if we are to heal and forge a way forward. Ask Thandiswa, J-Something, Oskido, and Mafikizolo; all of whom collaborated with our Bra Hugh. Lebo Mashile will also tell you of the profound joy it has brought her to work with and be guided by Ntate Don Mattera and Professor Keorapetse Kgositsile, who led Bra Hugh into the world beyond.

iStimela has left the station. Mokgatla, o iketse le ditaola tsa gago. Usikhonzele kuMam’Busi Mhlongo and Fela Kuti; to Mama Miriam, Bra Willie and Ms. Nina. We thank you, and we’re going to do right by you.

 

Gomolemo Lesejane is a Sowetan communications consultant trying to occupy, navigate and make sense of a world that vehemently resists her existence.

Featured Image via Wikicommons

Written by: Kayafm Digital



QUICK LINKS

UpComing Shows

DownLoad Our Mobile App

Privacy Policy

THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT FORMS PART OF KAYA 959’S TERMS OF USE POLICY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ANY TERM OF THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT, YOU MUST CEASE YOUR ACCESS OF THIS WEBSITE IMMEDIATELY. 

POPIA ActTo promote the protection of personal information processed by public and private bodies; to introduce certain conditions so as to establish minimum requirements for the processing of personal information; to provide for the establishment of an Information Regulator to exercise certain powers and to perform certain duties and functions in terms of this Act and the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000; to provide for the issuing of codes of conduct; to provide for the rights of persons regarding unsolicited electronic communications and automated decision making; to regulate the flow of personal information across the borders of the Republic; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

RECOGNISING THAT—

  • section 14 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, provides that everyone has the right to privacy;
  • the right to privacy includes a right to protection against the unlawful collection, retention, dissemination and use of personal information;
  • the State must respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights in the Bill of Rights;

AND BEARING IN MIND THAT—

  • consonant with the constitutional values of democracy and openness, the need for economic and social progress, within the framework of the information society, requires the removal of unnecessary impediments to the free flow of information, including personal information;

AND IN ORDER TO—

  • regulate, in harmony with international standards, the processing of personal information by public and private bodies in a manner that gives effect to the right to privacy subject to justifiable limitations that are aimed at protecting other rights and important interests,
  1. Definitions and Interpretation

1.1.“Personal Information” means information relating to an identifiable, living, natural person and where it is applicable, identifiable, existing juristic person, including all information as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013. 

1.2  Parliament assented to POPIA on 19 November 2013. The commencement date of section 1Part A of Chapter 5section 112 and section 113 was 11 April 2014. The commencement date of the other sections was 1 July 2020 (with the exception of section 110 and 114(4). The President of South Africa has proclaimed the POPI commencement date to be 1 July 2020.

 
1.3. “Processing” means the creation, generation, communication, storage, destruction of personal information as more fully defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013.  

1.4. “You” or the “user” means any person who accesses and browses this website for any purpose. 

1.4. “Website” means the website of the KAYA 959 at URL www.kaya959.co.za or such other URL as KAYA 959 may choose from time to time.   

  1. Status and Amendments

2.1. KAYA 959 respects your privacy. This privacy policy statement sets out KAYA 959’s information gathering and dissemination practices in respect of the Website. 

2.2. This Privacy Policy governs the processing of personal information provided to KAYA 959 through your use of the Website. 

2.3. Please note that, due to legal and other developments, KAYA 959 may amend these terms and conditions from time to time.  

  1. Processing of Personal Information

3.1. By providing your personal information to KAYA 959 you acknowledge that it has been collected directly from you and consent to its processing by KAYA 959. 

3.2. Where you submit Personal Information (such as name, address, telephone number and email address) via the website (e.g. through completing any online form) the following principles are observed in the processing of that information: 

3.2.1. KAYA 959 will only collect personal information for a purpose consistent with the purpose for which it is required. The specific purpose for which information is 
collected will be apparent from the context in which it is requested. 

3.2.2. KAYA 959 will only process personal information in a manner that is adequate, relevant and not excessive in the context of the purpose for which it is processed. 

3.2.3. Personal information will only be processed for a purpose compatible with that for which it was collected, unless you have agreed to an alternative purpose in writing or KAYA 959 is permitted in terms of national legislation of general application dealing primarily with the protection of personal information. 

3.2.4. KAYA 959 will keep records of all personal Information collected and the specific purpose for which it was collected for a period of 1 (one) year from the date on which it was last used. 

3.2.5. KAYA 959 will not disclose any personal information relating to you to any third party unless your prior written agreement is obtained or KAYA 959 is required to do so by law. 

3.2.6. If personal information is released with your consent KAYA 959 will retain a record of the information released, the third party to which it was released, the reason for the release and the date of release, for a period of 1 (one) year from the date on which it was last used. 

3.2.7. KAYA 959 will destroy or delete any personal information that is no longer needed by KAYA 959 for the purpose it was initially collected, or subsequently processed. 

3.3. Note that, as permitted by the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, KAYA 959 may use personal information collected to compile profiles for statistical purposes. No information contained in the profiles or statistics will be able to be linked to any specific user.    

  1. Collection of anonymous data

4.1. KAYA 959 may use standard technology to collect information about the use of this website. This technology is not able to identify individual users but simply allows KAYA 959 to collect statistics. 

4.2. KAYA 959 may utilise temporary or session cookies to keep track of users’ browsing habits. A cookie is a small file that is placed on your hard drive in order to keep a record of your interaction with this website and facilitate user convenience. 

4.2.1. Cookies by themselves will not be used to identify users personally but may be used to compile identified statistics relating to use of services offered or to provide KAYA 959 with feedback on the performance of this website. 

4.2.2. The following classes of information may be collected in respect of users who have enabled cookies: 

4.2.2.1. The browser software used; 

4.2.2.2. IP address; 

4.2.2.3. Date and time of activities while visiting the website; 

4.2.2.4. URLs of internal pages visited; and 

4.2.2.5. referrers. 

4.3. If you do not wish cookies to be employed to customize your interaction with this website it is possible to alter the manner in which your browser handles cookies. Please note that, if this is done, certain services on this website may not be available. 

  1. Security

5.1. KAYA 959 takes reasonable measures to ensure the security and integrity of information submitted to or collected by this website, but cannot under any circumstances be held liable for any loss or other damage sustained by you as a result of unlawful access to or dissemination of any personal information by a third party. 

  1. Links to other websites

6.1. KAYA 959 has no control over and accepts no responsibility for the privacy practices of any third party websites to which hyperlinks may have been provided and KAYA 959 strongly recommends that you review the privacy policy of any website you visit before using it further. 

  1. Queries

7.1. If you have any queries about this privacy policy please contact us by emailing [email protected]