Lesotho - An Introduction

Lesotho (pronounced li-soo-too) is an independent nation of approximately 2 million people. It is an enclave, bordered on all sides by the nation of South Africa. It is roughly the size of the state of Maryland in the USA or Belgium in Europe. 







Video Courtesy of YouTube, Shawn Joshi
"This video was submitted for consideration in the Peace Corps Week 2014 (#PCWeek2014) Video Challenge, "Cultural Windows: What I wish Americans knew about my Peace Corps country." This contest encourages currently serving and returned Peace Corps Volunteers to help Americans better understand their country of service through engaging videos. This video does not reflect the official views of the Peace Corps or U.S. Government."


An internet search of various sites provided the following bits of information about of Lesotho.

People & Politics

Early history: Sotho-Tswana people, who may have separated from other Bantu-speaking people as they migrated from northern Africa during the iron-age, settled in the area now known as Lesotho. Characteristics included: creating dense settlements, building stone structures such as round huts with thatched roofs and wearing skin cloaks.

Present day: The foundations of present day Lesotho, called Basutoland at the time, were built under the leadership of King Moshoeshoe (pronounced mo-shway-shway) who joined with other tribes in order to resist destructive tribal warfare, known as Lifaqane, between 1815 and 1840. After wars with the Boers and British during the 1850's, King Moshoeshoe and Queen Victoria agreed to make Basutoland a British Protectorate in 1868. Basutoland lost about half it's territory (western low lands) in a treaty with the Boers in 1869.  Basutoland gained independence from Britain and became the Kingdom of Lesotho in 1966.  Political instability, including a military coup, occurred at various points in time but today the Lesotho Government is a parliamentary or constitutional monarchy. Prime Minister, Tom Motsoahae is the country's executive leader while King Letsie III, a direct descendant of Moshoeshoe, serves as a ceremonial leader.

Language: Sesotho and English are the official languages.
Listen to sample phrases via this link:
Sesotho Language

Ethnicity: Approximately 99% of the population consider themselves Basotho (Mosotho is the singular form).  Subgroups include  Kwena Bakoena, the largest subgroup, Natal Nguni, Batloung, Baphuthi, Bataung, Bats'oeneng, Nguni, several thousand Europeans, and several hundred Asians.

Religion: Christians make up 90% of the population and of those 45% are Roman Catholic. The remaining 10% include Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baha'i.



Economics: Lesotho is one of the poorest nations in Africa with a gross national income per capita

estimated at $2000/year. 40+% live on less than $1 USD per day. With few natural resources, the majority of the population are subsistence farmers and herders. Approximately 80% of the people live in the lowlands where farming and grazing are possible. Light industry includes: tapestry weaving, diamond processing, production of textiles, electric lighting, candles, and ceramics among other things. Lesotho relies heavily on South Africa for imports and for jobs such as in mining.  Trade with South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, North America and Europe is essential.

Education & Literacy: Lesotho has incredibly high literacy, approximately 85% of those 15 years and older (women=95%, men=83%) are literate. In 2000 the government instituted a program for free, compulsory primary education. Children between 6 and 13 years are expected to attend school. 24% of 13 to 17 year old children attend secondary, non-compulsory school. Lesotho has two universities.











Health: Life expectancy estimates fluctuate by source. The World Health Organization website has listed a life expectancy of 49 years for males and 50 years for females. Other organizations list rates as low as 40 years.  HIV infection estimates range from 23-25% and co-infection with Tuberculosis is growing. The government works with various NGOs (non-government organizations) such as Clinton's Health Access Initiative & Partners in Health, as well as the Peace Corps, to implement programs to improve health. The mountain terrain and harsh weather are factors that make access to health facilities challenging. Outreach programs that bring locally trained health care workers to remote villages are being implemented.





Communities: Maseru is the capital of Lesotho and has a population of approximately 200,000 (1/10 of total population). "Camptowns" serve as the local capital in each of the 10 districts of Lesotho and are semi-urban or more rustic; their population ranges from 24,000 to over 200,000. Most Basotho live in rural communities. Traditional communities build their mokhoro (rondavels=round huts made from mud & dung with thatched roofs) around family cattle pens (krall). Each village typically has a community meeting place (khotla) for managing community affairs.  The communities own the land around their village and individual farming plots are assigned to families by the chief.








Symbols:

- Basotho blanket: The blanket was adopted by King Moshoeshoe in 1860 when he was given a blanket as a gift by a Mr. Howel. The blanket soon replaced the more traditional animal skins or furs worn by the population. This event coincided with the decreasing availability of animals to hunt.  The blanket is incorporated into various ceremonies such as weddings, national holidays, and young men's transition to manhood.  Various styles are incorporated based on the occasion and personal preferences (for example the corn image represents fertility).
- Bahotho hat: The hat  is woven into the shape of a cone based on the shape of a mountain near the tomb of Moshoeshoe. It represents Lesotho's unification.


 
  

Physical Geography
Lesotho is known as the "Mountain Kingdom", "Kingdom of the Sky", and the "Roof of Africa"
 

Altitude: Lesotho is unique - it is known as the country with the "highest low" of any independent nation.  Only Lesotho lies entirely above 3,281 ft (1,000 meters); actually it's lowest point is 4,593 ft (1,400 meters) and over 80% of the country lies over 5,906 ft (1,800 meters). It's lowest spot is at the juncture of the Orange & Makhanleng Rivers in the west and it's highest spot is Mount Thabana Ntlenyana (translation - Beautiful Little Mountain) at 11,424 ft (3,482 meters) in the eastern Drakensberg/Maloti mountain range.







Climate: Due to its altitude and latitude, Lesotho is the coldest country in Africa! In winter, May to September, temperatures can be as low as 19 F (-7 C) in the lowlands and -4 F (-20 C) in the mountains.  Winters are generally dry but it can snow in the lowlands during winter;  the mountains may have snow all year. Summers are warm (up to 90 F) but wet; 85% of rain falls between April and October.

  

Natural Resources: Water from rivers is the most important resource and water is exported to South Africa while hydroelectric power provides electricity to some parts of Lesotho. Diamond mining exists but is not significantly productive to enhance the GDP (gross domestic product).