Lesotho

Winding passes, large straw hats, shaggy, sure-footed ponies, snowy peaks, ancient rock art, misty mountains, dinosaur fossils …

This is the “mountain kingdom”, “the kingdom of the sky”, the “roof of Africa” – the land of Lesotho, a tiny country landlocked inside South Africa.

The beautiful country of Lesotho’s origins lie in times of conflict.  In the early 19th century, the King of the Zulu people, Shaka, was at his most powerful and reigned over the area now known as KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Many of his subjugated chiefs fled from the area and attempted to form their own domains. This resulted in a period of terror in Southern Africa and the scattering of the Sesotho-speaking tribes of the highveld.

The Maluti Mountains formed a natural defence against invaders and many small tribal groups took refuge in the region. One such group, lead by an enterprising chief, Moshesh, selected a small, steep-sided plateau at Buthe-Buthe, which they successfully defended for two years before moving to a better fortress at Thaba Bosiu (meaning 'Mountain of the Night').

For 10 years, Thaba Bosiu proved to be impenetrable and the name rapidly gained fame. Fugitives from the tribal wars flocked to the area and were incorporated into the tribe. By 1830, the tribe had become a large, cohesive unit of newly proud people who had hidden in the surrounding hills and valleys to escape slaughter and famine. They began calling themselves Basotho or Sotho people and to refer to their small kingdom as Lesotho. Moshesh, now known as Moshoeshoe, grew in stature and his military skills and diplomacy ensured that his Kingdom remained unconquered until shortly before his death in 1870.

In 1852, the British gave independence to the Boers (Afrikaans people, mostly farmers) living in the area, who then established their republic as the Orange Free State. As some of the land given to the Boers was originally occupied by Basotho people, there was bound to be conflict. The Free State Commando was determined to destroy the Basotho people. Thaba Bosiu withstood most of the attacks. In 1868, however, the British were called to rescue the situation after a successful Boer invasion. The British protectorate of Basutoland was declared soon afterwards.

Multi-party politics eventually came to pass in the 1950s and Lesotho was granted its independence in 1966. Conflicts and coups d’etat followed. A 1986 coup saw the overthrow of Chief Jonathan and the reinstatement of the of Moshoeshoe II (the great-great-great grandson of Lesotho’s founding father). Since then, the government has remained stable and successful, and continues to develop. Moshoeshe II’s son, King Letsie III, succeeded him in 1996.

Today, there are four main cultures in Lesotho:

English: Although many English-speaking South African and Lesotho people are descended from early British settlers, so much time has passed and so much cultural integration has occurred that these people are fiercely patriotic and call themselves “African”. The “English Africans” are unique in that they follow western culture and yet retain the essence of being African – appreciating the slow life, the open spaces, the diversity of cultures, and the beauty that is Africa.

Afrikaans: Afrikaans people are descendants of the original Dutch settlers who came to South Africa in the 1600s. Today, the Afrikaans culture is still strong, with many unique and interesting characteristics. Afrikaans food is particularly interesting; so-called boerekos comprises sweetened vegetables, meat (usually braaied or barbecued), potatoes and breads.

Basotho: The Basotho blanket is probably the most noticeable icon of the Basotho people. The traditional usage of animal skin coverings has been transferred to the blanket, which is carried in all weathers. The Basotho blanket’s beginnings can be traced back to European and missionary influence and the pressure to dress decently.

Gifts and increased trading opportunities with the British ensured that the blanket became an increasingly popular form of “covering up” and different patterns and designs emerged.

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