Barbara Masekela

**UBarbara Mosima Joyce Masekela** wazalwa ngomhlaka 18 kuJulayi 1941 eGoli. Wayengowesibili ezinganeni ezine azalelwa uPauline noThomas Selema Masekela. Umama wakhe wayengusonhlalonhle esikhungweni somndeni e-Alexander kanti ubaba wakhe wayengumhloli wezempilo futhi engumbazi wengqephu wesikhashana. UBarbara wakhulela eWitbank ngaphansi kokubuka ugogo wakhe, waze wabuyela e-Alexander Township ngo-1952. Wakhulela emndenini ohlonipha ezombusazwe. Waya e-Anglican Primary School eWitbank naseSt Michaels Anglican School e-Alexander. Ngo-1956 wabhalisa eNanda Girls Seminary Boarding School eThekwini lapho aphothula khona umatikuletsheni wakhe ngo-1960. Esikoleni samabanga aphansi baba nethuba lokuhlangana nabaholi bezenhlalo nezepolitiki abanjengoMongameli we-African National Congress (ANC) u-Chief Albert Luthuli.

Ukuxhumana kukaBarbara nezibalo zezepolitiki kwenzeka esemncane kakhulu. Abantu bokuqala abahlangana nabo kwakunguHelen Navid owayenguthishanhloko esikhungweni sezempilo kanye noTata Trevor Huddleston owayefundisa esikoleni somfowabo, iSt. Ufunde ngokufika kobandlululo ngokufunda izincwadi kanye namaphephandaba kanye nokulalela izingxoxo zabazali bakhe.Ukuphothula u-matric uMasekela wenza umsebenzi wakhe ephephandabeni iNew Age. Ngemuva kwezinyanga eziyisithupha, wabhalisa ekolishi laseLesotho University of Botswana naseSwaziland. UMasekela ekuqaleni waqala ngokufundela iziqu ze-BA. NgoFebhuwari 1963 wathuthela eGhana ngemuva kwekota eyodwa kuphela eNyuvesi. Ngesikhathi eseGhana wangenwa yisifo sofuba futhi wathuthela e-United Kingdom unyaka owodwa ukuyokwelashwa esibhedlela. Ngemuva kokuphuma kwakhe esibhedlela wahlala izinyanga ezimbalwa e-UK. Ukusuka e-UK waya e-United States lapho afike wabhalisa khona eFordham University, eNew York ngo-1965. I-Fordham University kulapho uMasekele avezwa khona ukuthi wayenobuhlanga obunobudlova, ikakhulukazi ezinkulumweni zakhe ze-anthropology lapho kwakubhekiselwa khona njalo emiphakathini engafundile. Ubuye wagula futhi, washiya.

Uku.. Kwenzeka. Kwenzeka Abantu bokuqala abahlanganela naboHelen Navidaliweenguthishanhloko zokuhungweni sezempilo kanye neSy Trevor Huddleston Ufunda ngokufika kobandlululo ngokufundafunda kanye namaphephabhuku kanye nokuphendula umbuzo wabazali bakhe.Ukuphothula u-matric uMasekela wenza umsebenzi wakhe ephephandabeni iNew Age. Izinsukuinyanga ezintathu, wabhalisa ekolishi leLesotho University of Botswana naseSwaziland. UMasekela waqala ngoku fund ela qu. NgoFebhuwari 1963 wathuthela eGhanahlukanisota enye ngaphandle eNyuvesi. IzinsizaGhana wangenwa isifo sofuba futhi wathuthela e-United Kingdom Koku UK.. Izinyanga. Ukusuka e-UK waya e-United States lapho kufika wabhalisa khona eFordham University, eNew York ngo-1965. I-Fordham University in Ubuye wagula futhi, washiya.

Ngo-Agasti 1982 uMasekela wenza uhambo lwakhe wabuyela eZambia lapho ayesebenza khona njengonobhala wokuphatha we-ANC ngokugcwele. Ngo-1983 wacelwa ukuba ahole uMnyango Wezobuciko Namasiko we-ANC awemukela. Ukwakhiwa kwalo mnyango kwavuselelwa wumkhosi wamasiko nokumelana kwawo okwenzeka eBotswana ngonyaka we-1983. UMasekela nabanye, okubalwa uWally Serote, uMandla Langa, uLindiwe Mabuza, uPatrick Fitzgerald noLouise Colvin (Angela Brown) basungula umnyango, waba nomthelela omkhulu ekuvinjelweni kwabafundi kwezamasiko ezifundweni nakwezamasiko eNingizimu Afrika. NgoFebhuwari 1990 lapho uFW De Klerk wenkululeko engavinjwanga yenkululeko uMasekela ebuyela eNingizimu Afrika. Ekufikeni kwakhe uqhubeke nokusebenza eMnyangweni wezobuCiko namaSiko, oseGoli. Ngemuva kwesikhathi wasebenza i-ANC njengomphathi wayo wokuhola imali. Ngo-1990 wacelwa ukuthi ahambe no-Nelson Mandela e-US futhi wabhalwa eqenjini elalilungiselela ukuvakasha. Kamuva ngalowo nyaka wahamba noMandela waya eNdiya

Engqungqutheleni ye-ANC ebibanjelwe eThekwini ngoJulayi 1991, uMasekela waphinde waqokwa kwiKomidi eliPhethe le-ANC kuzwelonke. Usebenzela ikhomishini yezingxoxo ye-ANC futhi waya kwi-December 1991 Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA). UMasekela ubambe iqhaza ezindabeni ze-ANC Women’s League. Wasebenzela uhulumeni waseNingizimu Afrika esigabeni esiphezulu lapho mhlaka 8 Septhemba 2003, uBarbara Masekela waba inxusa laseNingizimu Afrika eMelika. UMasekela ubuye nezikhundla ezizimele. Ngaphambi kokuthi abe yinxusa wake wasebenza njengomqondisi omkhulu wezindaba zomphakathi nezamabhizinisi kwaDe Beer Consolidated Mines kuze kube nguMashi 2003. Phambilini wake wasebenza njengomphathi weSikhwama Sezingane seNelson Mandela kanye neNelson Mandela Foundation. UMaskela uphinde wabamba abaqondisi abahlukahlukene nabangeyona eyabaphathi, okubandakanya nomqondisi we-Standard Bank of South Africa, South African Broadcasting Corporation kanye ne-International Marketing Council. Kamuva wakhonza njengonxusa eFrance nase-UNESCO (1995-99). UBarbara unezingane ezimbili futhi uhlala eGoli.

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