Barbara Mosima Joyce Masekela was born on 18 July 1941 and is a South African poet, educator, and activist who has held positions of arts leadership within the African National Congress.
16 Facts About Barbara Masekela
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Barbara Masekela was born on 18 July 1941 in the Alexandra Township of Johannesburg, South Africa, the second of four children born to Pauline and Thomas Masekela.
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Barbara Masekela's father had been an artist; her older brother Hugh Masekela grew up to be an accomplished jazz musician.
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At the age of 10, Barbara returned to Alexandra Township to attend Saint-Michael's Anglican School.
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Barbara Masekela's parents fostered a politically conscious household; from an early age Barbara was knowledgeable about the political climate of South Africa.
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In 1960, Barbara Masekela completed her high school education and went on to work at the New Age newspaper.
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In February 1963, Barbara Masekela contracted tuberculosis and was then sent to the United Kingdom, where she received treatment over the next year.
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Barbara Masekela fell ill again and returned to Africa, continuing her education at the University of Zambia in 1967.
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Barbara Masekela was asked to accompany him, to handle arrangements and scheduling, and to help raise funds and support from students and politicians for the organization in the multiracial, democratic elections that almost certainly lay ahead.
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Barbara Masekela served the South African government at the highest level when, after his inauguration as President, at which she presided, Mandela appointed her the first new South African Ambassador to France and UNESCO in 1995.
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Barbara Masekela served as a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
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Barbara Masekela held various executive and non-executive directorships, including director of the Standard Bank of South Africa, the South African Broadcasting Corporation and the International Marketing Council.
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Barbara Masekela was latterly chair of the board of the National State Theatre.
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Barbara Masekela's poetry is included in such publications at Sterling Plumpp's Somehow We Survive: An Anthology of South African Writing.
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Barbara Masekela, supported by Elinor Sisulu, in February 2023 inaugurated the Johannesburg Festival of Women Writers, hosted by the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study at the Johannesburg Business School.
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Barbara Masekela is a recipient of the Order of Luthuli in Silver, which national honour she was awarded for her "excellent contribution to the eradication of apartheid and contributing to the development of the new South African values".