Hugh Masekela was the living soundtrack for South Africa's anti-apartheid
efforts. I somehow missed the
passing last month of this great musician, writer, teacher
and activist.
Masekela demonstrated the power of music to frame and convey political narrative. The emotional resonance of his tune "Stimela" (1974), for example, seared into public consciousness the bleak, agonizing conditions of black men ferried on trains against their will to dig in South Africa's notorious gold and diamond mines.
Leadership can be found in many places. With the late Masekela, it most certainly was on display in the curving confines of a trumpet and the courageous trumpeter who blew against the prevailing political winds.
Masekela demonstrated the power of music to frame and convey political narrative. The emotional resonance of his tune "Stimela" (1974), for example, seared into public consciousness the bleak, agonizing conditions of black men ferried on trains against their will to dig in South Africa's notorious gold and diamond mines.
Leadership can be found in many places. With the late Masekela, it most certainly was on display in the curving confines of a trumpet and the courageous trumpeter who blew against the prevailing political winds.
Image courtesy of The Guardian.