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.
Sechaba
Hugh Masekela Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
*** SOTHO PART ***
Siyalila sichaba, dikgomo difedile - u helele!
Bafedile li bopapa batsware tsi dipasa - u helele!
Basimani basitsana batshabile Soweto - u helele!
Masiya li basadi basetsi balibangwe - u helele!
Tlang li boneng matata a-Afrika - u helele!
Iyo! Siyelele Mama! - u helele!
**** ZULU PART ***
Mus' ukukhulum' amanganyana
Sesizwil' ukuthi usebenzel' izitha - u helele!
Idlozi livukile! Masibuyel' emakhaya! - u helele!
Iyo! Siyelele Mama! - u helele!
Nang' amaphoyis' adlase liDlamini!
Emgodini weGoli amadoda aphelile
Asikwazi lokho, buyel' emakhaya!
Abantwana bayakhala, ubisi luphelile
Abatsotsi bezimpimpi ziyakhathaza
Yibuhlungu, madoda! le ndaba yaseAfrika
The song Sechaba by Hugh Masekela is one that is filled with cultural references and calls to action. The lyrics are a mix of Sotho and Zulu, with the refrain of "Iyo, Siyelele Mama!" repeated throughout. The Sotho part speaks of a weeping nation, as the cattle have died and farmers are struggling. The trains are taking people away to Johannesburg, with young men and women leaving Soweto. Women are left behind and must fend for themselves. The whole nation is in turmoil, with tensions rising. The Zulu part warns against listening to the voices of the youth who speak of stirring up trouble. It calls for a return to the ancestral lands so that harmony can be restored. The song ends on a somber note, with the realization that the situation in Africa is difficult, painful, and complex.
Line by Line Meaning
Iyo, siyelele Mama! - u helele! x 4
The people are calling out to their mother, a phrase repeated four times for emphasis
Siyalila sichaba, dikgomo difedile - u helele!
The nation is weeping, the cattle are lean
Bafedile li bopapa batsware tsi dipasa - u helele!
The elders have passed, leaving behind a barren land
Sitimela sibatsedi bafeletsi Johane - u helele!
The trains are carrying the dead bodies of John's followers
Basimani basitsana batshabile Soweto - u helele!
The young men of Soweto are in danger
Masiya li basadi basetsi balibangwe - u helele!
The women are being raped and abused
Tlang li boneng matata a-Afrika - u helele!
Come and see the troubles of Africa
Mus' ukukhulum' amanganyana
Do not speak nonsense
Sesizwil' ukuthi usebenzel' izitha - u helele!
We know that you are working for the enemy
Idlozi livukile! Masibuyel' emakhaya! - u helele!
The spirit has risen! Let us go back home!
Nang' amaphoyis' adlase liDlamini!
The police are killing people in Dlamini
Emgodini weGoli amadoda aphelile
In Johannesburg, the men have died
Asikwazi lokho, buyel' emakhaya!
We cannot take it anymore, let's go home!
Abantwana bayakhala, ubisi luphelile
The children are crying, the milk has run dry
Abatsotsi bezimpimpi ziyakhathaza
The gangsters and murderers are causing chaos
Yibuhlungu, madoda! le ndaba yaseAfrika
It is painful, men! This is the story of Africa
Iyo! Siyelele Mama! - u helele!
The people are calling out to their mother, a phrase repeated for emphasis
Contributed by Landon O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@melchizedekway5533
Yes, let's go Mom!
- you fell!
x 4
We mourn the nation, the cows are gone - you fall!
The papal nuns hold the passports - hell!
Train the helpers John - fall!
The boys have fled to Soweto - hell!
The Messiahs are women and women who have been raped - hell!
Come and see the African ducks - hell!
Yes!
Let's go Mama!
- you fell!
Do not talk too much
We have heard that you are working for the enemy - you have fallen!
The angel is awake!
Let's go home!
- you fell!
Yes!
Let's go Mama!
- you fell!
The police are attacking Dlamini!
In the pit of Johannesburg the men are gone
We don't know that, go home!
The children are crying, the milk is gone
Spy detectives are a source of concern
It hurts, men!
this is an African story
@generalwea7747
Best African chant ever,long live Africa,long live the mother land
@ibraheemovich1428
The best chant for Africa the music for soul and the spirit love from Ghana
@brytonmasaire5542
Great African masterpiece 👌
@theblackDennisdaMenace
LOVE FROM BLACK AMERICA, WE Y'ALL NEED TO UNITE AND BUILD WITH EACH OTHER.
🛡️🖤👑🖤🛡️
@agapelove481
Everyday I listen to this🫶🏽🙌🏾🙌🏾 The best I’ve ever heard since I was a child seeing Sarafina the play. All praises to Africa🙌🏾🙌🏾❤️
@waagakatella2430
Here from TikTok
@kennethmubiru2319
Me too
@boxingsense3459
Me too
@okpabikenneth3821
Me too
@johntrelvickes9591
Me Too