The family of the revered South African trumpeter and cultural activist Hugh Ramapolo Masekela recently unveiled a memorial pavilion honoring the musician that architect David Adjaye designed. Masekela passed away last January at the age of 78. 

Spearheaded by Masekela's family, the pavilion honors the Pan-African heritage and values that the iconic musician championed throughout his life. It also commemorates his contributions to South Africa's liberation and commitment to realizing a post-colonial Africa that impacted the shared history and memory of people in the African diaspora. The pavilion was revealed at the beginning of South Africa's Youth Month and as part of Masekela's 80th Birthday Commemoration.

Adjaye's elegant design for the pavilion draws from African burial ritual practices, in which dignified structures are built to serve as a gathering place for family and visitors to remember and connect with the departed. Known as a lekgotla (“gathering place" in the Sotho language), the pavilion's perforated rooftop design mimics local flora and allows sunlight to filter through, while shadows from surrounding foliage are cast across the pavilion floor. The structure houses a selection of stones that represent the different parts of the African continent that Hugh Masekela spent time in while in exile. A statement by the Masekela family is also inscribed at the base of the pavilion.

“African monuments are a place of gathering and reflection, they help us edify the significance of our ancestors, our heritage and culture. Monuments act as a reminder of our duty in the present to honor the past, they spur us to make a better future,” David Adjaye said in a statement

“Our family could not be more honored to have such an iconic son of the soil, Sir David Adjaye design this immutable memorial pavilion which beautifully reflects Hugh’s openness and his love of Africa,” stated Ambassador Barbara Masekela, representing the Masekela family and clan. “A true Pan-Africanist, we are touched that the design is by a world-renowned architect born in Ghana, another part of our beautiful continent Hugh regarded as home”.

Find project drawings in the gallery below.