I'm Ready To Fight This
Drum English|October 19, 2017

Hugh Masekela opens up about his cancer battle, and why he’s going to tackle it with everything he’s got.

Kaizer Ngwenya
I'm Ready To Fight This

HE DOESN’T sound like a sick man. Instead he has that usual bubbliness and is full of life, the man South Africans know and love.

But truth be told he isn’t 100% healthy – cancer has taken hold in his body and he’s had to slow down to beat the dreaded disease.

Legendary jazz musician Hugh Masekela isn’t panicked about his diagnosis though. In fact, the flugelhorn player sounds quite upbeat when DRUM catches up with him a few weeks after an emergency operation on a tumour.

“I’m battling prostate cancer and my cells are going haywire and spreading,” he says when we ask to chat to him. At first he wasn’t up to it but then changed his mind. “You know what? The funny thing is I’m feeling better today, and that’s why I can talk to you.”

The cancer has affected upcoming appointments. Bra Hugh has cancelled high-profile gigs to attend to his health.

This story is from the October 19, 2017 edition of Drum English.

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This story is from the October 19, 2017 edition of Drum English.

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