 |
| Police horses en route to Thaba Bosiu in preparation for the Moshoeshoe Day ceremony. |
Every March 11th, Lesotho celebrates Moshoeshoe
Day. King Moshoeshoe I is the father of the Basotho nation.
In the 1800s, Basotho were spread out throughout the land
now known as Lesotho and Orange Free State in South Africa. Moshoeshoe was the
chief of the Bakoena or Crocodile clan. He and his clan were living in the area
of Bothe Bothe, including on Thaba Mopeli (a mountain near the camptown of
Botha Bothe today) and at LiphofungCaves.
As Zulu clans were pushing west, they began encroaching on
Basotho lands. Thaba Mopeli was proving itself to be difficult to defend as it
did not have water on the top of the mountain. Moshoeshoe and his clan walked
from Botha Bothe to Thaba Bosiu. Unlike Thaba Mopeli, Thaba Bosiu has natural
springs on its flat surface, making it a better and safer place to build homes.
It turned out that Thaba Bosiu was an unusually secure site to defend. The name
Thaba Bosiu means Mountain of Night. It was given this name after Moshoeshoe
and his warriors successfully defeated the Zulu warriors at night. Legend has
it that they burned herbs that made their enemies hallucinate and think the
mountain was growing taller as they climbed the steep, rocky path to the top.
 |
| Looking up Thaba Bosiu |
Moshoeshoe was also able to unify the other clans and claim
the land known as Lesotho. In doing so, he became the first King of the Basotho
people. He eventually asked for the Basotho nation to become a protectorate of
the British government as formal colonization of Africa was occurring in
Europe. This move helped to protect Lesotho from the Boers (white persons of
Dutch origin living in South Africa) and then during decolonization, it contributed
to why Lesotho is its own country today instead of a part of South Africa.
 |
| Cultural Celebrations |
 |
| Moshoeshoe Walk 2017 Photo from PCV Katie DuBose |
Around the country, Moshoeshoe Day celebrations include
Cultural Day Competitions or Sports Competitions for most schools. Every year
there is also a Moshoeshoe Walk that starts two days before March 11th,
in Botha Bothe. Ambitious participants walk 72 miles from the 9th to
the 11th, ending at the Thaba Bosiu Cultural Center at the bottom of
the Thaba Bosiu mountain. King Moshoeshoe I was buried atop Thaba Bosiu, so the
official government celebration occurs there every year with a ceremony before
everyone climbs the mountain and lays a wreath at King Moshoeshoe’s grave.
 |
| Posing with the new King Moshoeshoe I statue at Thaba Bosiu Cultural Center on Moshoeshoe Day. |
Like King Moshoeshoe I, I recently moved from Botha Bothe to
Thaba Bosiu in Maseru. This made observing Moshoeshoe Day far more interesting
as I reflected on having followed his path through Lesotho.
As for my own celebrations, a friend came over and together we walked the half an hour
to the Thaba Bosiu Cultural Center after the just after the government ceremony
had concluded. We posed with the new King Moshoeshoe statue and checked out the
cultural village highlighting traditional building methods and lifestyles for
each clan. Then, we relaxed and got burgers at a nearby restaurant while awaiting
the arrival some friends that were ambitious (and crazy) enough to do the
Moshoeshoe Walk.
Despite having visited the Cultural Center multiple times
during my time in Lesotho, there was definitely something special about being
there on Moshoeshoe Day.
 |
| In front of the traditional home of my family's clan. |
No comments:
Post a Comment