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.
Colonial Man
Hugh Masekela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just like Christopher Columbus
He liked discovery
He was no friend of mine
Henry The Navigator
A friend of Vasco da Gama
He loved geography
He was no friend of mine (He was no friend of mine)
(He was no friend of mine)
(He was no friend of mine)
(He was no friend of mine)
(He was no friend of mine)
(He was no friend of mine)
(He was no friend of mine)
Christopher Columbus
Santa Maria, Nina, Pinta
Discovered America
They were no friend of mine
Hoo they were no friend of mine
They were no friend of mine
(He was no friend of mine)
(He was no friend of mine)
Queen Victoria, she built an empire
She loved to colonize
She was no friend of mine
She was no friend of mine (She was no friend of mine)
(She was no friend of mine)
(She was no friend of mine)
(She was no friend of mine)
Vasco da Gama
Was no friend of mine
Vasco da Gama
Was no friend of mine
Vasco da Gama
Was no friend of mine
Vasco da Gama
Was no friend of mine
Vasco da Gama
Was no friend of mine
Vasco da Gama
Was no friend of mine
The song "Colonial Man" by Hugh Masekela is a commentary on the consequences of European colonization of Africa and the Americas. Utilizing the repetition of the phrase "he/she was no friend of mine" throughout the song, Masekela calls out historic figures responsible for colonialism. The song starts with the comparison of Cortez to Columbus, arguing that both figures were pirates, who discovered and colonized Latin America and had no interest in befriending the indigenous people. Similarly, Henry The Navigator, who was well-known for his seafaring voyages in pursuit of new trade routes and territories, and Queen Victoria, who played an active role in creating the British Empire, are also called out as conquerors who had no regard for the humanity of the people they encountered.
Towards the end of the song, Masekela reminds us of Vasco da Gama's role in Portuguese colonization and the devastating impact on East Africa. Through the repetition of Gama’s name followed by the phrase "was no friend of mine," Masekela emphasizes that the harm these figures caused in the name of colonialism should never be forgotten and their actions should never be celebrated.
Line by Line Meaning
Cortez, he was a pirate
Cortez was a plunderer and an invader
Just like Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was also a conqueror and exploiter
He liked discovery
Cortez enjoyed discovering new lands to conquer
He was no friend of mine
The artist does not look kindly upon Cortez
Henry The Navigator
Henry was a leader in Portuguese exploration
A friend of Vasco da Gama
Henry supported Vasco da Gama's expeditions
He loved geography
Henry had an interest in the study of the earth
He was no friend of mine (He was no friend of mine)
Despite their shared interest in exploration, the artist does not consider Henry a friend
Christopher Columbus
Columbus was an Italian explorer who sailed for Spain
Santa Maria, Nina, Pinta
These were the three ships Columbus commanded on his first voyage to the Americas
Discovered America
Columbus is widely credited with introducing Europe to the Americas
They were no friend of mine
The artist disapproves of Columbus and his crew
Hoo they were no friend of mine
The singer emphasizes his disdain for Columbus and his crew
Queen Victoria, she built an empire
Victoria was a British monarch who oversaw the expansion of the British Empire
She loved to colonize
Victoria had a desire to acquire and control colonies around the world
She was no friend of mine (She was no friend of mine)
The artist regards Victoria negatively
Vasco da Gama
Gama was a Portuguese explorer and navigator
Was no friend of mine
The singer does not approve of Gama's actions and attitudes
Vasco da Gama
The singer repeats his disapproval of Gama
Was no friend of mine
The artist reiterates his negative view of Gama
Vasco da Gama
The artist again stresses his disapproval of Gama
Was no friend of mine
The artist makes it clear that Gama is not someone he would consider a friend
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HUGH MASEKELA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
eelalien
Rest in Peace, Admiral Masekela! You will be missed... sail on, sail on.
Christopher Rogers
RIP THE GREAT HUGH MASEKELA ! He made me think about history ! While we were being taught something else ! I can dig it !
william tilton
I owned this version in vinyl ,I was attending howard u an historically black college at the time I first heard this it became my theme...still is
John Armwood
I have love this song since it was released on the original LP which I had. Columbus was a pirate, a horrible man. "In an April, 1493, letter to Luis de Santangel (a patron who helped fund the first voyage), Columbus made clear that the people he encountered had done nothing to deserve ill treatment. According to Columbus:
"they are artless and generous with what they have, to such a degree as no one would believe but him who had seen it. Of anything they have, if it be asked for, they never say no, but do rather invite the person to accept it, and show as much lovingness as though they would give their hearts." [7]
Nonetheless, later in the letter Columbus went on to say:
"their Highnesses may see that I shall give them as much gold as they need .... and slaves as many as they shall order to be shipped." [8]
Newman Nalls
Another example of white racism and "white privilege". "If they ain't white, they ain't right." And the move to make him a "saint"? Really?
Armando Trevino
God Bless Hugh Masekela & Friends!!!!!
danimations
Great song. HM lives on through his music.
Phillip Maila
One of the best I ever heard of from the Icon himself
Mildred Stain
I'm here because I saw a bridge named after De Gama and read his biography which this song was mentioned toward the end. Yes, another European naval/trade explorer with a trail of blood ahead of and behind him. No one has been untouched by the inevitable global exploration and global trade. If it wasn't Europeans, it was someone else. No culture is immune or sinless whether you participated or not it's our human legacy. The question is and always has been, can we change? Have we?
willie tucker
ITS A LOT MORE NAMES THAT CAN ALSO GO ON THIS LIST