Take a Musical Trip to Lesotho

One of the most interesting and unique countries that I have traveled to is the country of Lesotho. Lesotho is a small southern African country which is an enclave of South Africa. When I visited Lesotho early in 2024, I was surprised by how much the country felt like a time capsule. The most developed aspect of life in Lesotho that I noticed was the paved roads, but everything else was seemingly just as it had been for the previous centuries. Our journey was often halted by shepherds and their large herds of cattle blocking the entirety of the road way and the houses still resembled small huts created by all natural materials. Because Lesotho was so interesting to me, I thought it would be fun to do some research into the music of this lesser known African country.

Sani Pass- the iconic road from South Africa to Lesotho

Music is a very important part of the Besotho culture as it is used as a way of upholding tradition, honoring ancestors, and persevering through hardship. The two biggest aspects of Besotho music are percussion and vocalization. Most songs are composed of a percussion instrument like the drum or body percussion and one or multiple people are singing along. In addition to music, traditional dance is a very important part of the culture. The traditional songs and dances are often performed at ceremonies and celebrations. Here is a video performance of one of these songs and dances (the title, composer, and date of composition is not listed, the only information about this piece is that it is native to Lesotho):

 

I really like that not only does this music hold deep cultural and ancestral roots, but also that these musical rituals bring together the whole community. There is a bond through music in these cultures that place so much value on the sounds of their people. I also appreciate the simplicity of the music. I like that the beat is held consistently through the song by the people clapping, but there is also the shaker that adds some rhythmic variety. The tempo is much slower than music that you find in other areas of Africa, so their dances have a lot of elegance to them. Here is another performance of the song Maseko le Lihoba Tsa Mats’ekha of Lesotho (date of composition and composer unknown) that I also find very enjoyable:

 

This performance is different from the previous one in that it has a lot more emphasis on the vocalization. The harmonies in this song and the range of the voices gives this piece a very robust sound. There is still a whistle-like instrument in the background that maintains the beat throughout the song, but the most amount of emphasis is on the vocalists. Through my research into the music of Lesotho, I also found quite a few songs from a genre called “Famo” that feature the accordion. I was very surprised to find that instrument in Besotho music, so I decided to do a deeper dive into the origins of the accordion and Famo music in Lesotho.

As you can hear, this style of music is very whimsical and happy sounding with the accordion, percussion, strings and vocals all coming together gloriously. Because the sound is so pleasant, many people, including myself may be shocked to find out the dark and devastating impact that this music style has had on the country of Lesotho. 

 Famo originated in the mines of South Africa in the 1920’s when many Besotho men had left their home country to pursue migrant work. Famo was played in bars that were a safe place for Besotho men to hang out and relax. Additionally, cross country travelers who were traversing Lesotho’s mountainous terrain used Famo music as a way to pass the time and express themselves. It is a very beautiful style of music, yet in 2004, it transformed into a violent genre. There are not a lot of details given online about the exact circumstances, but in 2004, one famous Famo musician shot and killed another. This began years of in-fighting between different Famo musicians. The Famo genre turned from being songs composed of beautiful, inspirational lyrics, to songs fueled by hatred with cruel, nasty lyrics. Whole families of musicians were brutally murdered and Lesotho quickly became one of Africa’s most violent countries. The war between different gangs (each backing a different Famo musician) continues to be a real issue in Lesotho today. Music is typically thought of as artwork which unifies people and to imagine that it has seemingly ripped an entire country to shreds is devastating. This year, after many brutal murders, Lesotho has finally deemed the Famo gangs unlawful and the government is working to put a stop to the violence. 

 When I visited Lesotho, there was an obvious sadness in the air. However, despite the violence and the poverty, the people were kind and welcomed us into their country and were happy to teach us about their way of life. My hope for their future is that they can continue to find love and unity through the beautiful music that is native to their country and that there is a light at the end of the dark tunnel for the Besotho people.

Besotho village with the school in front

Works Cited

Erasmus, Des. “Famo Gang Wars Fuel Deadly Violence in Lesotho That Spills into South Africa.” The Mail & Guardian, 16 Sept. 2024, mg.co.za/news/2024-09-16-famo-gang-wars-fuel-deadly-violence-in-lesotho-that-spills-into-south-africa/. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

Roy, Shaan. “Immersing Yourself in Basotho Culture: Music, Dance, and Traditions – Afro Discovery.” Afrodiscovery.com, 14 Mar. 2024, afrodiscovery.com/country/lesotho/lesotho-culture/immersing-yourself-in-basotho-culture-music-dance-and-traditions/. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

Whewell, Tim. “The Deadly Accordion Wars of Lesotho.” BBC News, 28 Apr. 2022, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-61097386. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.