Remembering South African Jazz Legend Hugh Masekela

In January 2018 the world mourned the loss of legendary Jazz Musician and and anti-apartheid activist Hugh Masekela. 

In June 2019, Design Indaba along with world reknowned architect Sir David Adjaye and in close collaboration with the Masekela family, unveiled the Hugh Masekla Memorial Pavilion

Sir David Adjaye has created a welcoming space, a place for reflection, with light forever filtering through the foliage which is mimicked by the canopy solidly balanced on diversely shaped trunks.

The memorial is based on the architectural tradition from various African countries and affirms the burial place as a welcoming space to commune with the departed. Rooted in the Pan African aesthetic, it resonates with Masekela’s own ethos.

“His legacy is complex and has no boundaries. The ripples of his life force are yet creating new facets of his nature. Those will remain unchained, causing ever novel vistas. Only change and the tantalizing promise of a future were his muse.He was not afraid, and his rage and daring was searing, but his love for family, friends, children, women and Africa is the unifying theme of his opus. Ultimately it is the human species in all its diversity that is his family. Only music is god and this deity is neither fixed nor petrified in genre. He laughed a lot and his humour is scattered everywhere. And we will always love him”.This statement, a tribute from the Masekela family, appears on the Hugh Masekela Memorial Pavilion.

“My approach to designing monuments and memorials, what I provocatively termed Making Memory, for my exhibition at the Design Museum in London, is born of a desire to show that architecture like music and art, reflects our collective consciousness. This pavilion or lekgotla designed for Bra Hugh is symbolic of his passion and desire to see us come together to advance African consciousness. To see us leverage our heritage and wisdom as cultural capital to the benefit of our people and communities.” - Sir David Adjaye

Ambassador Barbara Masekela comments: “It was important to us, as the Masekela family, that the structure reflected Hugh’s essence– he was warm, loving and generous to a fault, and had the gift of connecting effortlessly and joyously with people. The pavilion is a place where those who loved him, and his music can connect with him in a profoundly peaceful setting – we are grateful to all who had a hand in realizing this memorial, and deeply thankful to have loved and been loved by this incredible soul.”

Embracing African tradition, the memorial serves as a space where visitors are able to take a moment to reflect and celebrate the work, life and impact of Bra Hugh.“African monuments are a place of gathering and reflection, they help us edify the significance of our ancestors, our heritage and culture. Monuments act as a reminder of our duty in the present to honour the past, they spur us to make a better future’’, says Adjaye.

Inspired by African burial and ritual practices, including traditional cultural and spiritual beliefs, the pavilion will serve as a way to remember and connect with those who have left the physical realm and who are now embracing the role as their ancestors.

On the base of the pavilion is a statement inscribed by the Masekela family. The structure of the pavilion will also feature specially selected stones. These stones are a representation of the various nations where Bra Hugh spent time in while in exile.

The pavilion is just an extension of the ways in which Design Indaba would like to continue to honour Bra Hugh, a dear friend.