Me, Masauko, Masauko's Mother, Ms.Cocumelli, and Kara
I had the pleasure of introducing Masauko Chipembere at an Upper School GIP assembly. Poly alum Masauko Chipembere is an accomplished musician, activist, and citizen of the world. Masauko attended Poly in the late 1980s when his parents were living here in political exile from Malawi. A household name in South Africa, his acoustic duo Blk Sonshine has shared stages with Stevie Wonder, Joan Baez, Bonny Rait, Mary J. Blige, and most notably Nelson Mandela at his 2005 46664 concert, for which Blk Sonshine became Ambassadors. One of the greatest lessons Masauko learned from Mandela was that African musicians need to prioritize the liberation of women and girls on the continent. In 2012, Masauko received a grant from the U.S. government to serve as a musical ambassador in their Arts Envoy Program. As part of this program, he performed in his first solo tour of Malawi. His unique blend of African and American sounds is internationally recognized by both worlds as a benefit to their cultural development. Currently, Masauko and his wife live with their two children in Costa Rica and he continues to use his music to bridge his African and American pasts, focusing his support on building rural schools in Malawi through his mother’s organization, and furthering the cause of women’s liberation worldwide. His assembly at the Upper School was an incredibly moving concert where he showed all of us how his music intertwined various cultures. He sang songs in all different languages and even invited our school's vocal ensemble up on to the stage to sing with him. It was amazing to hear Masauko's story and very inspiring because he also attended Poly. Masauko truly followed his passion and now he helps to bridge huge cultural gaps. I was so happy to meet with Masauko and hear his lovely voice.
