IIIb. Beginnings Leading to Exile: Hugh Masekela

Masekela was born in 1939 in Witbank, a small town 100 miles east of Johannesburg, South Africa. Similar to Miriam Makeba’s memories, Masekela in his autobiography recounts that the small village was filled with music in the church, the homes and the shebens. He especially remembers the musical celebrations of the weddings: “The wedding itself was a near-riotous celebration with the choirs of the bride and groom challenging each other in a competition of poetic songs and harmonies in praises to the couple” (Masekela 8). Within his family, Masekela credits his Uncle Putu, with “the most beautiful baritone voice,” (Masekela 9) as his greatest singing influence. American music greats, such as, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Cab Calloway, were popular and had influence on South Africa’s music scene and Masekela. Masekela described the affect of such a musically influenced community: “Living in a country that is so pregnant with every kind of ethnic and traditional music and people obsessed with buying records, I became a music addict” (Masekela 9). His life would be defined by this musical passion.

An outline of his musical journey while in South Africa:

· Recognizing his musical talent, Masekela’s parents found Masekela a township piano teacher, through whom he learned classical piano. However, Masekela also began to experiment with “boogie-woogie jazz on the piano” (Masekela 23).
· After completing St. Michael's Primary School, Masekela attended St. Peter’s Secondary School. It was a movie Young Man With a Horn that featured music of American trumpet virtuoso Harry James (e.g. "Star Dust") that inspired Masekela to play trumpet. He told Father Trevor Huddleston, the school’s chaplain who was strongly anti-apartheid, “Father, if you can get me a trumpet, I won’t bother anybody anymore” (Masekela 60). Masekela got the trumpet and with the help of Huddleston, received lessons from the leader of the Johannesburg Municipal Native Brass Band. Masekela’s musical passion was contagious and boys from the school formed the Huddleston Jazz Band.
· Played with Peter Nstane’s Merry Makers’ Orchestra.
· Became part of the African Jazz and Variety and eventually led the group.
· Played trumpet for the King King orchestra, with Miriam Makeba as the lead female role in the musical.
· Member of the Jazz Epistles, with pianist Abdullah Ibrahim.
· With the help of Huddleston, Makesela was accepted into London’s Guildhall School of Music, and eventually was able to receive a passport.
· In 1961, Masekela left for London.

Throughout his musical progress, the limitations of apartheid were very explicit. As a child, his grandparents were directly affected by the Group Areas Act that established segregated communities. They moved in with Masekela’s family when “their farm was proclaimed a ‘black spot’ in an area designated for ‘whites only’” (Masekela 36). Also, Makesela remembers the degrading experience of receiving his passbook that was required to be carried at all times: “At the pass office there were long lines, thousands of men waiting in the burning summer sun to enter the cursed building, where they would be ordered to disrobe…It was humiliating for us to stand bareassed with our clothes hanging from our arms alongside grown men” (Makesela 61).

In 1956, Father Huddleston shut down St. Peter’s, refusing to comply with the inferior education that the school would be forced to give according to the Bantu Education Act. As apartheid’s repression increased, Makesela realized that “to progress in [his] musical career, [he] would have to get out of South Africa” (Makesela 81). Like Norjte, Makesela was able to leave South Africa to further his education. Ironically, Makesela saw music as a way to avoid becoming involved in the political activism: “I could envision myself being swept away by the powerful currents of radical activism and – given my big mouth and general fearlessness around authority figures – my changes of living very long were rather slim” (81). Through he didn’t realize it then, exile allowed him to pursue political activism through his musical career without the debilitating persecution suffered by those who fought from within South Africa.