Monate oa Sesotho

Two hundred years ago refugees from across southern Africa organised under one fortress. There they forged a way of life that was both cosmopolitan and modern and expressed it through a unique visual, sonic and linguistic culture blending all the different origins into one, Sesotho. Sesotho is not merely a language, it is improvisation, experimentation, fusion and creativity made manifest to the point that hoohle moo Basotho ba leng teng ke Lesotho (Lesotho is wherever Basotho are present). By luck or destiny, Sesotho forged a literary tradition that spread throughout the region, encouraging kin to lean into their capacities for storytelling and dedicate them to paper. With song, travelling parties in pursuit of work, life or God absorbed melodies, sounds and harmonies around the way and continue to churn out innovative sounds from these encounters.

Spoilt by incomparable natural sights, landscapes and ways of living in seemingly inaccessible territory, Sesotho’s visual culture as captured through a camera lens alludes to revealing the unseen, exploring the unknown and speaking through the language of the eyes where words fail or are simply not enough. It goes without saying that Sesotho does not insist on its own importance so seriously that demands taking centre stage, it is comfortable being experienced in whatever way because it knows its presence is always felt. Whether it is building industries throughout the 20th century, supporting causes for the betterment of Black lives, documenting social history, providing intellectual support and inspiration, or being an artistic muse for some of the best artists of our time, Sesotho’s presence is undeniable.

Passionate, adaptive, disciplined, experimental and forward focused, it is time Sesotho, as both a language and culture, receives her flowers in a way that honours the ways it enriches people’s life and adds more flavour to whatever story. Truth is, even when Sesotho is being bad, it does it a little too well. We are left with having to remind the world of all her good qualities and contribution to whatever society she is integrated into. If life in the Free State and Lesotho reveals anything, it is that Basotho know how to multiply very little and prosper, it is that Basotho are content making do with whatever they are dealt and letting whatever beauty contained within it flourish. That type of alchemy needs encouragement and support, hence the significance of making this project reach those places where resources are even more limited. It is one thing to be resilient, it is another to be nurtured and fortified to reach the ultimate potential.

Basotho are too plenty to ignore, too useful, imaginative and willing, to overlook. It is time that Sesotho is elevated as a repository of unique knowledge, story and continuity of ancient traditions that otherwise would have perished had those refugees and immigrants not decided to organise into a new identity. Sesotho already has a great advantage for storytelling, film is a means to stretch its possibilities, leverage its capacity for imagination and reveal what has always been in plain sight yet somewhat hidden so as not to take up too much space. Monate oa Sesotho is that; it is ever evolving, ever present and ever inviting!