Days of the archetypal Bras as we know them

several backing vocalists, punctuated by that unforgettably irresistible choooom/ choooom/ chooooooom/ choooooom.

Depending on the vibe, this Stimela version feels like a journey because it is vast in timbre, pace and time signature. It is the sound of people moving. It is simultaneously destabilising and soothing. is a liberation-seeking

Substance abuse is one of the most talked-about biographical details of mohu Bra Hugh’s life. It is also deeply entrenched in a labour migration history that has reduced black lives to a disposable raw material.

Bra Hugh was one of the few public figures to come out, come clean and condemn substance abuse, just as Stimela and his outspoken repertoire did during and after the liberation struggle. His attitude to “struggle” was a holistic one.

by Mafikizolo 2001)

Yet there was and still is a lot to endure.

by Philip Tabane

1996)

by Letta Mbulu 1973)

Humanity.

by Hugh Masekela 1994)

Ambuya Stella Chiweshe, born in Zimbabwe and living and working in Germany and Zimbabwe, is an artist who is committed to the preservation and innovation of indigenous practices.

She also believes that no one should be stuck in the past. I am reminded of these sentiments when I hear this version of Ntyilo Ntyilo, a South African evergreen that has enjoyed renditions by artists across the ages and years.

In Ghanaian parlance, this version is true sankofa — looking back while going forward, in which the chorus leads us to a place of improvisation and imagination. Whether this sankofa bird flies across the Atlantic or across Limpopo, it defies borders, just as mohu Bra Hugh did with his life’s work.

by Spikiri, featuring Hugh Masekela and Louie Vega

2007)

Mohu Bra Hugh forcefully and strongly defended kwaito whenever he had the chance. It was neither lip service nor a riding of the bandwagon. Rather, it was a combination of pride in home developments and commitment to intergenerational conversations.

by Hugh Masekela

1998)