Friday, January 13, 2017
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
2. The Arts and Music as History in Lesotho
The Art in the Drakensbergs
Some of the oldest cave art in Africa is located in the Drakensberg mountains. It was left by the San people. These paintings are mysterious but are assumed to serve a variety of purposes, including purely artistic, religious, and historical. The article at this site provides a very interesting religious analysis of one of the paintings.
These paintings and the difficulty in interpreting them illustrate one of the inherent difficulties of non-written history. Even if the paintings are merely a visual aid in recounting stories, the absence of the stories, and the people who knew them, make accurate assessment difficult, if not impossible. At the same time, they do provide a record that stories were intended to be passed on. Moreover, while a Rosetta Stone of spoken history is unlikely, it has been possible to make connections between the images in the caves and the more modern stories of the San people or the relatives, which can provide us with an approximate meaning for some of the stories.
The Music of the Basotho
(Just as background and to avoid confusion. Lesotho (pronounced l/e/-su'-tu) is a nation-state in southern Africa. The Basotho (pronounced Ba-su'-tu) (aka, the Sotho (su'-tu)) are a Bantu ethnic group who live primarily in Lesotho, with some also living in South Africa. Sesotho (pronounced s/e/-su'-tu) (aka, Sotho) is a Bantu language, spoken in Lesotho and in South Africa.)
If you click here, you will find a recording of a Lesotho "Pumpkin Song". It is sung by groups of people as they harvest in the fields. While the song is not a "history" song, per se, it does provide a picture of the community's historic activity. For instance, farming and harvesting is a communal activity, designed to give heavy physical labor a rhythm and efficiency.(1)
This video, created by an Italian documentary company, records some Lesotho artists and musicians as they talk about their music and dancing.(2) It is fascinating to watch but also provides some interesting information about the history of Basotho people. For instance, all of the musical instruments are made from recycled metal materials. Does this mean that these old inner tubes and cracker tins replaced existing instrument designs created from other materials? That new materials provided a new outlet for music and story-telling? Whatever the case, the performers identify these instruments as "traditional", and play traditional music and dances with them, as well as some very non-traditional music!
The Flags of Lesotho
The flags of Lesotho serve as clear markers of political changes in Lesotho, as well as the national characteristics which the various regimes wished to emphasize.
The flag of the English colonial Basutoland Protectorate prominently includes the Union Jack. It also includes a badge with a crocodile (the symbol of the Basotho people), on a green ground (symbolizing prosperity), with to "garbs or" (light-colored sheaves of wheat, symbolizing that "the harvest of one's hopes has been secured") and a fleece, with no specific heraldic meaning.(3)
The first flag of the new Lesotho, after achieving freedom from Great Britain emphasized elements of prosperity and culture. The main element in the flag was the traditional Basotho hat (the mokorotlo) in white (meaning "peace"), on a blue ground (meaning "rain"), with a green stripe for "land" and a red stripe for "faith".(4)
The second flag of Lesotho, created after a change in governments via a military coup, contained strong military symbolism. The brown Basotho shield, along with traditional Basotho weapons (the assegai and the knobkierie (a short spear and a club, respectively)). This badge, with the military and cultural elements is still contained in the Lesotho Coat of Arms. The white ground stands for "peace", the blue stripe for "rain", and the green triangle for "prosperity".(5)
The current flag of Lesotho, adopted in 2006, has returned to the same themes as the original national flag, with a change in design. The mokorotlo (traditional Basotho hat) is described in black, to represent the nation's "blackness", on a white strip for "peace", with a blue strip for "rain", and a green strip for "prosperity".(6)
(1) The British Library has a large selection of recordings from around the world. It is something you may be interested in looking at. http://sounds.bl.uk/World-and-traditional-music/Kevin-Volans-South-Africa
(2) The Spanish documentary group is called "El Camino de la Musica".
(3) "The Meaning of Coats of Arms". accessed 24 September. 2014. http://www.araltas.com/info/article05.html.
The golden fleece is actually associated with the Order of the Knights of the Golden Fleece, a very exclusive Austrian, Spanish, and Portugese order, so it seems unlikely that this use of the fleece imagery is associated with that particular meaning. It seems most likely that it has a particular national meaning or that it represents a generic hope for prosperity. This and the following links reference both the information and the flag image.
(4) "Flag of Lesotho", Wikipedia, (accessed 24 September. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Lesotho), ¶ 2.
(5) "Flag of Lesotho", Wikipedia, (accessed 24 September. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Lesotho), ¶ 3.
(6) "Flag of Lesotho", Wikipedia, (accessed 24 September. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Lesotho), ¶ 1 and 4.
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| A painting of an Eland (an antelope) By Photo by Lukas Kaffer (Super.lukas) (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons |
The Music of the Basotho
(Just as background and to avoid confusion. Lesotho (pronounced l/e/-su'-tu) is a nation-state in southern Africa. The Basotho (pronounced Ba-su'-tu) (aka, the Sotho (su'-tu)) are a Bantu ethnic group who live primarily in Lesotho, with some also living in South Africa. Sesotho (pronounced s/e/-su'-tu) (aka, Sotho) is a Bantu language, spoken in Lesotho and in South Africa.)
If you click here, you will find a recording of a Lesotho "Pumpkin Song". It is sung by groups of people as they harvest in the fields. While the song is not a "history" song, per se, it does provide a picture of the community's historic activity. For instance, farming and harvesting is a communal activity, designed to give heavy physical labor a rhythm and efficiency.(1)
This video, created by an Italian documentary company, records some Lesotho artists and musicians as they talk about their music and dancing.(2) It is fascinating to watch but also provides some interesting information about the history of Basotho people. For instance, all of the musical instruments are made from recycled metal materials. Does this mean that these old inner tubes and cracker tins replaced existing instrument designs created from other materials? That new materials provided a new outlet for music and story-telling? Whatever the case, the performers identify these instruments as "traditional", and play traditional music and dances with them, as well as some very non-traditional music!
The Flags of Lesotho
The flags of Lesotho serve as clear markers of political changes in Lesotho, as well as the national characteristics which the various regimes wished to emphasize.
 |
| By Orange Tuesday (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
.svg.png) |
| Zscout370 at en.wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
The first flag of the new Lesotho, after achieving freedom from Great Britain emphasized elements of prosperity and culture. The main element in the flag was the traditional Basotho hat (the mokorotlo) in white (meaning "peace"), on a blue ground (meaning "rain"), with a green stripe for "land" and a red stripe for "faith".(4)
 |
| By Courtesy an e-mail from the author of xrmap - modifications by Denelson83 - uploaded by Zscout370 (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
The second flag of Lesotho, created after a change in governments via a military coup, contained strong military symbolism. The brown Basotho shield, along with traditional Basotho weapons (the assegai and the knobkierie (a short spear and a club, respectively)). This badge, with the military and cultural elements is still contained in the Lesotho Coat of Arms. The white ground stands for "peace", the blue stripe for "rain", and the green triangle for "prosperity".(5)
 |
| By Zscout370 (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
The current flag of Lesotho, adopted in 2006, has returned to the same themes as the original national flag, with a change in design. The mokorotlo (traditional Basotho hat) is described in black, to represent the nation's "blackness", on a white strip for "peace", with a blue strip for "rain", and a green strip for "prosperity".(6)
(1) The British Library has a large selection of recordings from around the world. It is something you may be interested in looking at. http://sounds.bl.uk/World-and-traditional-music/Kevin-Volans-South-Africa
(2) The Spanish documentary group is called "El Camino de la Musica".
(3) "The Meaning of Coats of Arms". accessed 24 September. 2014. http://www.araltas.com/info/article05.html.
The golden fleece is actually associated with the Order of the Knights of the Golden Fleece, a very exclusive Austrian, Spanish, and Portugese order, so it seems unlikely that this use of the fleece imagery is associated with that particular meaning. It seems most likely that it has a particular national meaning or that it represents a generic hope for prosperity. This and the following links reference both the information and the flag image.
(4) "Flag of Lesotho", Wikipedia, (accessed 24 September. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Lesotho), ¶ 2.
(5) "Flag of Lesotho", Wikipedia, (accessed 24 September. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Lesotho), ¶ 3.
(6) "Flag of Lesotho", Wikipedia, (accessed 24 September. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Lesotho), ¶ 1 and 4.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
1. The Geography of Lesotho
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| Lesotho's location in Africa and in the world. Add captionBy Alvaro1984 18 (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALocation_Lesotho_AU_Africa.svg |
_-_LSO_-_UNOCHA.svg.png) |
| Maseru is the capital city. Its coordinates are 29.31°S 27.48°E. OCHA [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALesotho_-_Location_Map_(2013)_-_LSO_-_UNOCHA.svg |
Lesotho is the highest country in the world, with its lowest
point being almost 4,600 feet above sea level.[4] It lies on the north-west side of the crest
of the Drakensburg Mountains, one of the main geographic features of southern
Africa. It has a cool, continental climate,
as distinguished from neighboring states because of its altitude and because of
its distance from bodies of water.[5] One significant benefit of this cool, high
climate is that malaria is not an issue in this region.
Lesotho is the site of the origin of the Orange River (or
Senqu River), which bisects South Africa and forms parts of several national
and international boundaries.
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| Map of the Orange River Watershed Note that national boundaries are marked in red, and that the Orange river forms Namibia's southern border with South Africa. By Imagico [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5) or CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AOrange_watershed_topo.png |
Lesotho has few natural resources. It is very mountainous and therefore not conducive
to easy farming—less than two-tenths of a percent of Lesotho’s land is
permanently used for farming.[6] The mountains do provide a source of income
through tourism. Pony trekking is a
growing industry. The Letseng Diamond
Mine is located in Lesotho and, while it has very poor production, it does
produce the largest diamonds in the world.[7] The Lesotho Highlands Water Project is an
additional source of income and production as it provides water resources and
power throughout Lesotho.[8] Most people survive on subsistence farming
although there is some manufacturing work.
Lesotho’s poverty—resulting from its less hospitable climate, relative
aridity, and history of war, as the Afrikaners and the English fought for
control of southern Africa—is one of the factors which has led to its high HIV/AIDS
rate, which is the third highest rate in the world. Almost 30% of adults in Lesotho have HIV/AIDS.[9]
[8] “Lesotho
Highlands Water Project”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho_Highlands_Water_Project.
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