Five Actual Facts About Lesotho

Yesterday I posted an April Fools post listing five “facts” about Lesotho. Here are five real facts to counter those posts.

I realized recently I have been remiss in sharing some basic realities about Lesotho. So, here are some things that I have not mentioned but you probably assumed just because Lesotho is, in fact, in Africa. Enjoy!

5. We grow a lot of coffee. Lesotho’s Biggest Exports are Diamonds and Clothing:  Coffee is actually not grown in the country at all. Clothing makes up 40% of Lesotho's exported economy and Diamonds comprise another 22%. Thanks to the African Growth and Opportunity Act [AGOA]in the United States, Lesotho is able to export clothing to the United States duty free. As a result, it is the largest exporter of clothing to America in all of sub-Saharan Africa. In a country with few jobs, the manufacturing jobs created thanks to AGOA

A dusting of snow in August.

4. It is really hot, all the time. Winter is Cold and Sometimes Snowy. Now that fall has officially begun, evenings and mornings are startlingly chilly. As we move into winter, dustings of snow will happen up to once a month and frost in the week following each snow. The highlands see more regular and more significant snowfall. Last year Mokhotlong actually became unreachable for a few days thanks to the mountain passes being completely snowed in. 

3. As a colony of Britain, Lesotho was heavily exploited. As a colony of Britain, Lesotho was not developed or exploited. Britain was not heavily involved as a colonial power in Lesotho. As water and diamonds are the only notable natural resources (aside from beauty, which is not easily exported) and the diamond mines are fairly new, there were not natural resources to export at the time. Today, water is exported to South Africa through the Highlands Water Project and as I noted above, diamonds are the second largest export. 

2. Following the end of colonization, we have seen bloody upheaval as the country tries to find its own way. Lesotho is a Peaceful Nation. Lesotho has had no civil wars or  significant bloodshed in the nearly fifty years following its independence. While there has been some political upheaval from time to time, including the attempted coup in August 2014 and consequent elections, the issues have remained in the political sphere. The Basotho pride themselves on being peaceful. 

1. Girls are discouraged from education. Girls are more likely than boys to finish higher education.  In Lesotho, women are far more likely to complete higher education. Boys often leave school in order to find paying jobs in their teens, leaving more females in attendance from late primary school through university. Because of this, I was pleasantly surprised when Lesotho was included in the second year of the Let Girls Learn. The primary reason I have heard for its inclusion is because women in Lesotho ages 15-24 are at an highest risk of contracting HIV and increasing education can help women reduce their risk. 

Lesotho Elections

Regular readers will remember that Lesotho had an attempted coup at the end of August, which led to all PCVs spending an anxiety-riddled three weeks in South Africa (see Consolidation Vacation and Consolidation Continues). Thankfully, things settled down though the same agreements that allowed us to return to our homes called for elections in February 2015.

Campaigners dancing at the gas
station on their way home from a rally.

As a result, the new year has been filled with a sea of brightly colored Basotho campaigning in villages, towns, and especially Maseru. As early as Christmas, people on taxis asked me if I would be voting, who I supported, and what I thought. My answer was always the same as I explained that PCVs are not allowed to be involved in local politics or share opinions on local politics.

As the election loomed, PCV chatter centered around how it may impact our service. In 1998, PCVs were consolidated after riots broke out in Maseru in response to the election outcome. South Africa sent in security forces and people died. From what I have heard, the political climate leading up to the 1998 elections was less tense than it has been since June when the Prime Minister dissolved the parliament. As a result, we all wondered what Peace Corps would do and whether we would again be living the not-so-dope hotel life.  

Thankfully, that did not happen. For the days surrounding the election, we were expected to lay low in our villages, but to continue with normal life while avoiding polling places and large gatherings. This was incredibly easy to do in my village, especially since it ended up being a very gray and rainy set of days, which pretty much changes normal life to staying home for most villagers anyway.

My brother showing off the mark that he voted.
As a nineteen year old, this was his first time voting!

After the elections, conversations around the village centered on the results. Starting the evening of the election, people spent more time around their radios, responding loudly whenever a positive announcement came in for the party most favored in the village. Through the night and into Sunday morning, I could hear people's reactions from my own hut.

More official announcements came in throughout the week, showing the party of the Prime Minister with a slight lead over the party of the previous Prime Minister, whose party had been in control until the Prime Minister's party managed a coalition to take control in the 2012 election. This had my villagers thrilled. But, the previous Prime Minister learned and in the end was able to take control in the same manner as he had lost it, forming a coalition with a number of parties to just barely secure a majority in parliament and therefore return to being Prime Minister.

This was announced late in the week. As I traveled for a committee meeting over the weekend, I was reminded of sports fans following a championship game—people in the parties that formed the winning coalition were decked out in party gear throughout the five districts I passed through. The level of enthusiasm for the election far outlasting any political engagement I have seen in the United States.

Those who supported the outgoing party seem to be taking things well, expressing joy that the process was peaceful rather than their disappointment in not winning. That said, they still have a large representation in the new parliament and can celebrate having taken far more voting areas this year than in previous elections.

Similarly, we PCVs are celebrating the fact that the election process has been far more peaceful than it could have been. I have never been so happy to say I did not travel!

Consolidation Continues

We have now been in consolidation for almost twenty days. To put this in perspective, I lived and worked at my site for twenty days before the coup and consolidation. When we went through immigration at the South African border, we received 30 day visas with the expectation that we would not be approaching October while still "vacationing" and waiting.

And yet, here we are. Each day brings a mixed bag of promising news and security setbacks. SADC (South Africa Development Community) has had multiple meetings about Lesotho this week and has agreed to send in peace keepers from multiple southern Africa nations to help maintain security. South Africa Deputy President Ramaphosa is mediating between the political parties to help get parliament reopened and possibly to push up the elections currently planned for 2017. At the same time, security has not improved enough for family members of US Embassy employees or Peace Corps volunteers to return to Lesotho.

So, we wait and we find ways to fill the time. We are developing great relationships with the resort staff, who hosted a fun competition day for us on Sunday and kicked our butts in a staff/PCV soccer game this week. We have also been able to get out of the hotel a bit. On Tuesday, Peace Corps rented a bus so that we could all visit nearby Bloemfontein. This provided a great chance to resupply as most of us had packed only enough for a few days.

Some friends and I avoided a full day of shopping by catching a taxi to Cheetah Experience. Cheetah Experience is a non-profit cheetah breeding and education program. Cheetahs are incredibly endangered with more living in captivity than in the wild. Cheetah Experience is one of a number of cheetah breeding programs working to ensure that diversity of cheetah DNA is maintained in hopes of helping to protect this incredible species.

After our tour was completed-including critical cat petting and photo ops but not including my simultaneous allergy attack-my friends and I hung around for a bit. We continued chatting with our guide about our consolidation boredom. She asked if we were interested in volunteering with Cheetah Experience while we are here so I shared my contact info.

Within a few hours, I had an email from the project inviting us to volunteer. That night I spoke with Wendy, our country director, about the opportunity. Two days later, twenty-one of us were boarding the Peace Corps bus for a day of manual labor at Cheetah Experience. While doing something productive was award enough, the staff and live-in volunteers also treated us to "Cheetah Soccer", letting us play with the cheetahs at the end of the day. I managed to pet cheetahs and protect myself from my usual cat allergy problems-which was better than I can say for one of my friends!

Today another group of twenty headed out for more Cheetah Experience. While it may not be what we all came to Africa to do, it is wonderful to be doing something more than enjoying our resort and relaxing to the point of exhaustion.

Consolidation Vacation

After PST or Pre-service Training ends, Phase II begins. Phase II is the first three months as a PCV at your site. Because our development work is all centered around integration, there are strict rules about staying at site and within district during Phase II. Leaving the country and taking vacations is not permitted and there are homework assignments to help increase integration into the community. Phase II is followed by a week-long training back in the original training villages, creatively named Phase III.

The exception to the in-site, in-district, and in-country rules, apparently, occurs when there is a coup in the country like there appears to have been in Lesotho on August 30^th. Then, within a few days, one finds themselves no longer completing Phase II assignments and working with their organization in their home community. Instead, one finds themselves crossing the border with thirty other PCVs and staying at hotels in Lesotho's only neighboring country.

While I cannot comment on the political situation in Lesotho, you can read more about the coup, the Prime Minister, and General Komoli at these sites:

 "Why You Should Start Paying Attention to a Crisis in Lesotho"

 "SA Cops Restore Calm to Lesotho Capital"
 Peace Corps Statement

The Peace Corps staff in Lesotho, southern Africa, and Washington, DC have been working diligently to protect the Lesotho PCVs during this political and security situation. We were warned before the coup that there was to be a political rally in the capital and we were not to pass through over that weekend. Once it became clear that the situation would not quickly resolve itself and that security in the country was compromised, the Peace Corps told us to follow our EAP [Emergency Action Plan] and consolidate with the other volunteers in our district. We then were joined by Peace Corps staff before crossing the border into South Africa.

For a few days, we stayed in hotels along the border. There was a sense of optimism that the situation would soon resolve and we would be able to return, making it easy to enjoy the luxury of our accommodations compared to life in the village. I spent two mornings enjoying intervals of jumping into a frigid pool followed by basking the sun while doing crossword puzzles. I spent two afternoons roaming the streets of Ficksburg with friends, exploring shops and stretching our legs. I spent three evenings of camaraderie at the hotel tiki bar with PCVs and locals.

As it became clear that the situation in Lesotho was not resolving itself quickly, the Lesotho PCVs moved from four border towns to one resort and conference center for what was being called an “All Vol” or all volunteer conference. While the “conference” schedule has been relaxed, we have intermixed bits of work with our relaxation and play. A senior staff member from the Peace Corps office concluded his time in Lesotho during this conference, giving us the opportunity to honor his departure and positive impact in our lives.

This resort and hotel seems particularly luxurious with a large hot tub, large outdoor pool surrounded by chaise lounges, three meals and two tea times daily, beach volleyball, tennis, a bounce house, putt putt, a play station room, and a small cinema (complete with popcorn!). For some extra money, we can really live it up with spa treatments, game drives in the preserve the hotel looks over, and trail rides. Our staff has worked to keep us positive despite the daily updates reminding us that we cannot yet go home to Lesotho. We have also been offered the chance to visit a Botanical Garden in Bloemfontain and a nearby town for incidentals as none of us packed to be gone this long.

In many ways, this is as relaxing as life can get. We are surrounded by friends and peers in a beautiful place with incredible sunny weather. We are being fed incredibly well and have someone making our beds every day. We do not need to draw water, cook, clean, or shop for food. Our work is minimal and based upon our own desire and interest. It should feel amazing.

Anxiety and tension, however, are present. We have nearly 100 people here between volunteers and staff. Each one of us desperately wants to return to Lesotho as soon as possible to continue our work. And, each one of us deals with this inner frustration in a different way. From the application process through training and beyond, Peace Corps stresses that volunteers must be flexible and willing to serve under conditions of hardship, however, none of us was prepared to have our hardship require us to live in luxury away from the very people we came to work with.

The uncertainty is exhausting. Therefore, the relaxing environment is anything but relaxing. Being in the resort feels a bit like house arrest.

Even at the worst moments, however, deep inside I am still an eternal optimist. I believe that the security situation and political discord will resolve itself enough that we are allowed to return. I look forward to the day I can return to my hut, my village, and my work. I am sure this experience will only enhance my appreciation for the great moments and even the hard moments during the rest of my service.

And, most days, I am able to dive into at least one great activity to keep things fresh here at the hotel whether its a pedicure, game drive, trip to town, birds at the botanical garden, hot tubbing and napping, Hip Hop Abs, or yoga with new friends. For those worried Lesotho was not giving me the Africa we see in advertisements, the photos below will highlight that I have now experienced it...complements of the Lesotho coup.