Tag: Hugh Masekela

Jazz has always been the sound of freedom. Musically, it refuses to follow a form, rather growing organically with the musician. Politically, it has been the music of choice of resistance and rebellion, from its early days in the US's Deep South to South Africa during apartheid.

Four prominent South Africans have lent their support to the UNHCR's I Belong Campaign to end statelessness within a decade. Without a state, a person has no identity, and is denied access to basic human rights – even a death certificate – and is more vulnerable to human trafficking and persecution.

Music, art and film will feature in a three-week long festival focusing on South Africa at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York City. It will feature renowned artists like Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim, as well as sopranos making their New York debuts.