kipepeo's music...

one of my favorite artists is the great Hugh Masekela. You see, i pretty much didnt listen to a wide range of music, well, up until I did my I.B. One of my subjects was theatre arts. As well as doing strange meditation excercises (which I still cant get the hang of), we were pushed into listening to all types of music. I can trully say I am a much more open person as a result of theatre arts and my mad teacher! It was in this class that I began to not only appreciate, but like african music and i dont mean like genge. I mean like african jazz. My teacher who called himself "The Big Kahuna", introduced me to the likes of Ladysmith black mambazo, fela kuti, femi kuti and the rest of the great african musicians. Its not that i had never heard of them, because I had. My father played fela kuti all the time and it would drive me up the wall! I just couldnt agree with a single song taking up one whole side of an L.P! He even made us all go to a Hugh masekela concert for new years, and as much as i enjoyed it, i didnt really want to admit it coz that was not the "cool" thing to be doing for new years eve! But with I.B, I began to understand that even if i may not necessarily understand the lyrics or be able to sing along (which i do by the way, although I have a feeling the words i sing are far from any language) to enjoy the music. The other night I watched the documentary "Amandla!" about the role of music in the south african struggle during apartheid. The sheer power of music and song. It moved people, gave them the strength they so badly needed, the encouragement. They sang to comfort themselves after losing loved ones, they sang to take away the fear....they sang for hope. Hugh Masekela was a musician of the time and many will remember him for nelson mandela's homecoming song...."bring home nelson mandela, bring him back home to soweto!". He truly touches me. So I'm making this my own Hugh Masekela week, being one of his greatest fans!