Hugh Masekela was an old collaborator of Abdullah Ibrahim. He is reported to have been initially inspired in his musical growth by Trevor Huddleston, a British priest working in the South African townships who financed Masekela's first trumpet. Masekela played his way through the vibrant Sophiatown scene with The Jazz Epistles and to Britain with King Kong, to find himself in New York in the early 1960s. He had hits in the United States with the pop jazz tunes "Up, Up and Away" and the number one smash "Grazin' in the Grass".
A renewed interest in his African roots led him to collaborate with West and Central African musicians, and finally to reconnect with South African players when he set up a mobile studio in Botswana, just over the South African border, in the 1980s. Here he re-absorbed and re-used mbaqanga strains, a style he has continued to use since his return to South Africa in the early 1990s.
In the 1980s, he toured with Paul Simon in support of Simon's then controversial, but highly critically acclaimed, album Graceland, which featured other South African artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Miriam Makeba, Ray Phiri, and other elements of the band Kalahari, which Masekela recorded with in the 1980s. He also collaborated in the musical development for the Broadway play, Sarafina! He previously recorded with the band Kalahari.
In 2003, he was featured in the documentary film Amandla!, about how the music of South Africa aided in the struggle against apartheid. In 2004, he released his autobiography, Grazin' in The Grass: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela, which thoughtfully details his struggles against apartheid in his homeland, as well as his personal struggles against alcohol addiction from the late 1970s through to the 1990s, a period when he migrated, in his personal recording career, to mbaqanga, jazz/funk, and the blending of South African sounds to an adult contemporary sound through two albums he recorded with Herb Alpert, and notable solo recordings, Techno-Bush (recorded in his studio in Botswana), Tomorrow (featuring the anthem "Bring Him Back Home"), Uptownship (a lush-sounding ode to American R and B), Beatin' Aroun' de Bush, Sixty, Time, and most recently, "Revival".
Essential recordings include:
* "Bring Him Back Home"
* "Coal Train (Stimela)"
* "Ziph'nkomo"
* "Don't Go Lose It Baby"
* "Ha Le Se Li De Khanna (The Dowry Song)"
* "Bajabule Bonka"
* "Grazing in the Grass"
* "U-Dwi"
* "The Joke of Life"
* "The Boy's Doin' It"
His song, "Soweto Blues", sung by his former wife, Miriam Makeba, mourns the carnage of the Soweto riots in 1976.
Hugh Masekela is the father of Sal Masekela, host of American channel E!'s Daily 10 show, along with Debbie Matenopoulos.
African Secret Society
Hugh Masekela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By Hugh Masekela
Kale as a young girl
At the tender age of life
Speeding to African secret society
Where the body will clad
A string of beards on around her waist
Taken away from her home
Taken to the country school of Life
Deep into African secret society
She lives everyday learning how just to be like a woman
From the ladies of the great African secret society
To cook, to sweep, to sow,
Also to reap, to heal to bring health
To make love and take love
To make a house whole
To drive away the cold
And how to keep the fire burning
Everyday and each night
Shall need the vital light
Every weather, to wake up for the baby
Sleeping time
She will know when to sing a lullaby
Always ready,
To wake up early in the morning
Determined,
To make it another happy day
When she leaves the country,
She will understand the mystery
A secret of a music will come alive within her dance
When she will be ready
To take a journey into the world
Where she will get married
And raise a family.
When she leaves the country
She will understand the mystery
The secret of a music will come alive within her dance.
When she will be ready
To take a journey to the world
Where she will get married
And raise a family
(Please listen and help correct my rendering of the above lyrics)
Jogirafi
(Thoughts of a dry brain in a dry season waiting for the rain)
The song "African Secret Society" by Hugh Masekela tells the story of a young girl named Kale who journeys to an African secret society to learn the ways of being a woman. She is taken away from her home and brought to the "school of life," where she learns traditional skills such as cooking, cleaning, healing, and making love. The lyrics suggest that these skills are important for maintaining a happy and harmonious household.
As Kale grows and leaves the secret society, she is said to be ready to journey into the world, get married, and raise a family. The mystery and music of the secret society will come alive within her dance. The song seems to be celebrating the beauty and importance of traditional knowledge and cultural practices, and their role in shaping the lives of African women.
Overall, "African Secret Society" is a poignant tribute to the women of Africa and their unique ways of life. The song highlights the wisdom and skills that have been passed down from generation to generation, and the importance of preserving these traditions for future generations.
Line by Line Meaning
Kale as a young girl
As a young girl named Kale
At the tender age of life
At a young and vulnerable age
Speeding to African secret society
Going quickly to an organization that is secret and African
Where the body will clad
Where she will be dressed in a special way
A string of beards on around her waist
A special type of belt around her waist made from beads
When she joins African secret society
When she becomes a member of the African secret society
Taken away from her home
Removed from her place of residence
Taken to the country school of Life
Taken to a place to learn about life in the country
Deep into African secret society
Immersed in the depths of the African secret society
She lives everyday learning how just to be like a woman
Everyday she learns how to embody and exemplify the characteristics of a woman
From the ladies of the great African secret society
From the women who are members of the African secret society
To cook, to sweep, to sow,
To prepare meals, clean, and plant seeds
Also to reap, to heal to bring health
Additionally, to harvest crops and provide medical care to promote well-being
To make love and take love
To give and receive affection and sexual pleasure
To make a house whole
To create an environment of unity and togetherness within a home
To drive away the cold
To keep warm and fend off the chill of the weather
And how to keep the fire burning
And how to maintain a flame or passion
Everyday and each night
Each day and night
Shall need the vital light
Will require an essential source of illumination
Every weather, to wake up for the baby
Regardless of the weather, to wake up to tend to the infant
Sleeping time
Time to rest and sleep
She will know when to sing a lullaby
She will be aware of the appropriate time to sing a soothing song to a baby
Always ready,
Prepared at all times
To wake up early in the morning
To rise early in the morning
Determined,
Intending and resolute
To make it another happy day
To ensure that it is another joyful day
When she leaves the country,
When she departs from the country
She will understand the mystery
She will comprehend the enigmatic aspects of life
A secret of a music will come alive within her dance
A hidden component of music will be revealed and animated in her dancing
When she will be ready
When she is prepared
To take a journey into the world
To embark on a voyage around the world
Where she will get married
Where she will get wedded to someone
And raise a family.
And cultivate and nurture offspring.
Thoughts of a dry brain in a dry season waiting for the rain
This phrase is not part of the song African Secret Society by Hugh Masekela.
Writer(s): Hugh Masekela
Contributed by Micah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@andregodsey4557
One of the great trumpet voices of all time. Thanks, Mr. Masekela.
@herintuion88
This will forever be one of my favourites by him … thank u sir for this music and messages in it 🙌🏽🥰🫶🏾💞🎶
@busimsimangmashigo3296
I cry when I listen to this song it remind me of dearest friend who past on bring back memories
@ROCKNROLLFAN
That's one HAPPY elephant and I love that album cover.
@Thor2Zine
I have it on vinyl as well, bought it when I was a teenager when it first came out. I'd love it hear it on CD. I always thought I was hearing about another world I never knew about. It gave me hope about Africa in the 70's
@vincentmosala7071
First time I listen to the song and I just can't stop listing over and over again
@dav0113
I can listen to this song over and over and over all day long.
@burlharper5383
Me too
@mthokozisihiltonshange330
I still hear that trumpet echoing over mountains and valleys of Africa.
@astolatpere11
I've got to dig out my lp with this on it. The whole lp is great!