Lesotho

Lesotho

Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...

 is a Southern Africa

Southern Africa

Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...

n nation surrounded entirely by South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. The largest ethnic group

Ethnic group

An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...

 is the Basotho

Basotho

The ancestors of the Sotho people have lived in southern Africa since around the fifth century. The Sotho nation emerged from the accomplished diplomacy of Moshoeshoe I who gathered together disparate clans of Sotho–Tswana origin that had dispersed across southern Africa in the early 19th century...

. The Basotho culture is immersed in musical traditions.

National Anthem

The national anthem

National anthem

A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...

 of Lesotho is "Lesotho Fatse La Bontata Rona

Lesotho Fatse La Bontata Rona

"'" is the national anthem of Lesotho. The lyrics were written by François Coillard, a French missionary, and the music was composed by Ferdinand-Samuel Laur. It has been used as the national anthem since 1967.- Lyrics :...

". Written by François Coillard

François Coillard

François Coillard was a missionary who worked for the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society in southern Africa....

, a French missionary, it appears in the popular computer game "Sims 2: University" as the theme from a videogame console.

Traditional Instruments

Traditional musical instruments include lekolulo, a kind of flute

Flute

The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...

 played by herding

Herding

Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group , maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. While the layperson uses the term "herding", most individuals involved in the process term it mustering, "working stock" or...

 boys, setolo-tolo, resembling an extended jaw harp played by men using their mouth, and the women's stringed thomo.

Church Music

Vocal choirs, which sing church music in Sesotho, are extremely popular. These choirs are formed in villages, towns, churches, etc., and can be heard on the radio every evening.

Popular Music

As an enclave of South Africa, it is not surprising that South African musicians have a large following in Lesotho. Most frequently heard on the radio are various sub-Saharan AfroPop styles, jazz, kwaito

Kwaito

Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s. It is a variant of house music featuring the use of African sounds and samples. Typically at a slower tempo range than other styles of house music, Kwaito often contains catchy melodic and percussive loop samples,...

, and reggae.

While South African music is generally enjoyed in Lesotho, there is a tremendous following for famo

Famo

Famo is a type of music from Lesotho in Africa consisting of singing accompanied by the accordion, a drum and occasionally a bass. It originated in the drinking dens of migrant workers from Lesotho trying to relax after working in the mines in the 1920s but is now a popular form of music for...

(contemporary Sesotho music, which features the accordion and oil can drum) such as that by Mosotho Chakela

Mosotho chakela

Mokete Shadrack Chakela, more commonly known as Mosotho Chakelaor just Chakela, was born 1963 in Mafeteng, Lesotho in Southern Africa. He is a cultural music singer in a popular Lesotho musical tradition called famo.-Music:...

. The music recording industry is nascent, but many of the Basotho musicians sign with South African companies - undermining growth prospects.

Music Festival

• The Morija Arts & Cultural Festival
  Morija Arts & Cultural Festival
  Morija Arts & Cultural Festival, also known as Morija Festival, is an annual event held in Morija, a large village in the Maseru District of Lesotho...
  
  is a prominent Sotho music festival
  Music festival
  A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
  
  , held annually, which highlights the dance and music of the Basotho people.

External links

• Morija Arts & Cultural Festival