For years, Selema Masekela kept his distance from his father, legendary South African musician Hugh Masekela, as he watched the celebrated trumpeter battle addiction.
The relationship between father and son became so strained that Selema reached a point where he believed it would be easier to grieve his father than continue watching him struggle.
Speaking on One54Africa, Selema recalled how his father’s addiction affected their relationship during his 20s, eventually leading him to cut contact with the musician for about five years.
Hugh Masekela, who died in 2018 aged 78, was one of South Africa’s most celebrated musicians and an internationally acclaimed trumpeter, singer and composer.
His decades-long career also saw him become an important voice against apartheid, with songs such as Stimela becoming closely associated with the experiences of South African migrant workers and the country’s painful history.
Selema Masekela Opens Up About Father’s Addiction
Selema said his father’s addiction had become so severe that he eventually stopped engaging with him.
“Because what he was going through with his addiction was so bad that I was like, let me just have this man be dead so that when he dies, I’ve already got a head start. So, for like five years, from when I was 25 to 30, I just didn’t f*** with him at all.”
The separation lasted for around five years before Selema’s uncle stepped in and arranged an intervention.
Hugh Masekela Taken To London For Rehabilitation
According to Selema, his uncle arranged for Hugh to be taken from South Africa to London for rehabilitation.
“My uncle had him kidnapped in SA,” Selema said.
“My uncle had him, passport, bare feet, took his a** to London, put him in someplace that one of the Beatles owned, like way out in the country to get rehabilitation.”
The unusual intervention eventually became a turning point in Hugh’s battle with addiction.
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Selema said the rehabilitation environment left his father with little opportunity to rely on the charisma and brilliance that had helped him navigate difficult situations throughout his life.
“My father couldn’t handle or wasn’t interested in being fixed. He could smell it, you know? And he was also brilliant and charismatic, et cetera, so he could bull*** his way. And this was a place where he just finally had to deal with it.”
Hugh eventually overcame his addiction, but his recovery initially left his son with conflicting emotions.
Selema said he had seen his father struggle repeatedly and had prepared himself for another relapse.
“And then he got right. And I was mad that he got right. I was mad because I had dealt with it a few times before. And so I’m like, you know, what’s the outcome going to be? He’s just going to come back out and beat up again. And then he did it. He beat it. Like, he got himself right.”
Father And Son Rebuild Their Relationship
After years without seeing each other, Selema eventually reunited with his father in New York.
He recalled arriving at Hugh’s hotel room and knocking on the door, unsure of what he would find after their lengthy separation.
“I remember the first time I went to see him in New York after he’d been out, knocking on the hotel room door, and I was just like, who are you going to get?
“I haven’t seen this man in like five years. And he was his old self. We sat down and started talking, and we didn’t get into the nuances of our apologies. We just picked back up from our good. And then we started forging a new thing.”
Their reunion marked the beginning of a new chapter in their relationship.
Rather than dwelling on the years they had spent apart, father and son began rebuilding their bond and confronting the experiences that had driven them apart.
Selema Masekela Calls Hugh His ‘Best Friend’
The relationship eventually evolved far beyond reconciliation.
Selema described Hugh as one of the most important people in his life, saying the legendary musician ultimately became his closest friend.
“My dad became my best friend on earth,” he said.
As Selema developed his own career and identity, Hugh became a source of support and pride rather than simply the world-famous musician whose reputation had loomed over his childhood.
Selema also spoke warmly about watching his father perform and the extraordinary impact Hugh could have on an audience.
“Watching my father on stage was, he was from the beyond in what he was capable of doing in the storytelling and like stealing people’s souls. I used to say that, like, oh, we’re going to go watch my father kidnap people’s spirits tonight.”
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For Selema, the transformation of their relationship was significant.
The father he had once felt unable to connect with eventually became the person he described as his “best friend on earth”, allowing the pair to build a new relationship after years of estrangement.
