Bra Hugh and Berita Khumalo
Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
FOR the late jazz icon Hugh Masekela, one of his ideologies was simple, the youths should be proud of their heritage and should jealously guard their culture.
That’s part of the legacy that he left behind when he died on Monday this week at the age of 78 after a 10-year battle with prostate cancer.
The master of the trumpet and flugelhorn, Bra Hugh started his music in 1950s and has been an influencer to parents and grandparents over the years.
Bra Hugh had a passion for imparting knowledge to the youths as an icon and this zeal can be traced to the 1950s when he was given one of his first trumpets, from legendary jazz musician Louis Armstrong, who had heard of his exploits.
Masekela has also bequeathed talent to Zimbabwe’s Afro Pop/RnB singer Ammara Brown and Mzansi’s award winning guitarist and Afro soul musician, Berita Khumalo. Ammara is the daughter of the late Zimbabwean great singer Andy Brown and Berita was born in Bulawayo meaning the two singers are both Zimbabweans. Masekela through his great grandfather came from Great Zimbabwe so he too had Zimbabwean roots. He revealed in interviews that his real surname is Munyepawu.
Berita and Ammara who described Bra Hugh as a father figure, said he touched their lives musically and personally.
In her recent album, Ammara Brown had two songs that featured Bra Hugh, Tawina and Next Life Time while Berita had a song called Mwana Wamai that featured Bra Hugh and the legendary Oliver Mtukudzi which is part of songs on her 2013 album, Conquering Spirit.
Berita Khumalo said in all her interactions with Bra Hugh, who she warmly refers to as uBaba uMasekela, he was passionate that the youths should be proud of their culture and preserve their heritage.
“I got to know him not like a musician but as a father as well. He was very funny and was always in a great spirits. He was always talking about our heritage and our ubuntu as black people.
“He wanted the youths to value their culture and guard it jealosuly,” said Berita.
She said rather than mourn Masekela’s death she was celebrating his life.
“I’m in a spirit of celebration, celebrating a life well lived. I had the privilege to meet and spend a lot of time with him. Bra Hugh lived a full life and did all the things that he wanted to do,” said Berita.
The Bulawayo born musician said one of her most memorable stories was how Bra Hugh ended up being on her song Mwana Wamai.
“Initially I did Mwana Wamai with Oliver Mtukudzi and when we were done with the song, I met Bra Hugh in Zimbabwe. I played it for him on my phone but because of me being nervous I forgot to press the play button. He listened for about 30 seconds and said, Yazi yamnandi lengoma, kodwa akuzwakali lutho and laughed. Thereafter he got to listen to the song and loved it and said he had to put his own instrument on it and that’s how I got to feature the two musical greats on the song,” said Berita.
“I’m very humbled honoured and blessed that Bra Hugh and Oliver Mtukudzi worked with me on a song. They’re my fathers, they taught me about music and about life and different things.
Berita said Bra Hugh was a humble man and was thinking of doing a song dedicated to him.
“Bra Hugh also taught me not to take life and yourself too seriously. Although he travelled all over the world performed for queens, kings and presidents, he was still down to earth. Very approachable and when I was speaking to him, it was like I was speaking to my father,” said Berita.
“I’m really thinking about doing a song for Bra Hugh. He was my own father’s favourite musician and I grew up listening to his music.”
On the northern side of the Limpopo, Ammara Brown she said she would miss Bra Hugh’s, who she calls Sekuru Masekela, larger than life personality.
“If I’m to be honest, I will truly miss his personal presence. It was bold and humorous yet grounded. “I’m lucky to be alive, my dear. Few understand the journey you have to make but I can tell you about it.” He had the ability impart knowledge while making me laugh for hours,” said Ammara.
Ammara Brown and Bra Hugh
She said the first time she met Sekuru Masekela was in 2015 when Mtukudzi performed in Nyanga.
“I first shared a stage with Sekuru Masekela in Nyanga, 2015, my first time to meet him though I had heard about him. When I walked on stage, Bra Hugh insisted to be escorted to a front seat, so that he could watch me.
“My nerves shot through the roof, but I levelled up! After my performance he came backstage and commeded me for my delivery. ‘I’ve never seen any woman work so hard! And I’ve seen them all! You’re Zimbabwe’s best kept secret. We’ve got to get you out of here.’ The honour took my breath away,” said Ammara.
After that performance according to Ammara, Bra Hugh followed her to Harare a week later and that is when she suggested that they record songs.
“Sekuru Masekela came to watch my performance in Harare and soon suggested we could record together. I nervously asked if he could grace the album (Ammartia), and he said yes! Sekuru landed up on two songs on Ammartia,” said Ammara.
Bra Hugh had very strong feelings about fake hair on women and went as far as not wanting to take pictures with those with artificial hair.
He even started a movement of women being proud of donning the natural look, another feather in Bra Hugh’s cap of spelling out Africanism to the youths.
Ammara Brown had a brush of this when he pointed out that he did not like women with hair extensions.
“I wanted to take a picture with him and he said ‘My Mother was mixed like you, with beautiful African hair too! How can you wear foreign hair and want to be a proud African?’ Eventually he softened up and took selfies with everyone, no judgment,” said Ammara.
What is definite after all has been said is that Bra Hugh’s legacy will live on because of the music he produced with Ammara and Berita while lessons he taught them will be passed on to the next generation. — @bonganinkunzi