Mohobelo
When men dance mohobelo, they stride, slide and stomp their feet while swinging their decorated sticks from side to side and over their heads. They also hum and whistle to whip up their movements.
When men dance mohobelo, they stride, slide and stomp their feet while swinging their decorated sticks from side to side and over their heads. They also hum and whistle to whip up their movements.
Litolobonya is a dance performed by young Basotho women, expressing their femininity, grace, and strength. It is an important rite of passage for young girls.
The mokhibo is a women's dance performed on the knees, the body gently rising and falling as the hands are swept upwards. An informal choir stands behind the line of dancers, singing and clapping.
Moraba-raba involves herding toy cattle with 24 sticks representing different breeds.
In Liketoane, players use numbered sticks to select lots.
The mokorotlo is performed by men for the chief on important occasions, such as political meetings, or when the chief and his followers go on a tour of inspection.
The maqheka dance is part of initiation for girls, symbolizing their transition into womanhood. It is performed with specific movements that reflect the cultural significance of the initiation process.
The lesiba consists of a flattened quill attached to a long piece of sinew string, which is itself stretched over a piece of hardwood. The wood acts as the resonating surface for the string. However – unlike most stringed instruments – what is unique about the lesiba is that its string is not plucked, bowed or struck in any way, but rather resonated by the player’s mouth.
This is a flute-like instrument traditionally played by herding boys. It is made from local materials and is integral to Basotho music, often used in social gatherings and celebrations.
A small drum used primarily in girls' initiation ceremonies, the morupa is made from a clay pot covered with animal skin. It is struck with flat hands to produce rhythmic sounds that accompany various cultural events.
Resembling an extended jaw harp, this instrument is played using the mouth and is popular among men. It adds a distinctive sound to traditional Basotho music.
Thomo: This stringed instrument consists of a bow with a horse-hair or thin wire stretched across it, resonating with a calabash or oil tin. It is played by plucking the string and is often used in storytelling through music.
The setinkane, a thumb piano, adds mesmerizing tones to Basotho musical compositions.
This bowed monochord instrument, sometimes referred to as a ‘single-string violin’, is usually constructed from a five-litre tin can resonator. A stalk, or long piece of wood, is inserted into the tin can, and a wire is strung between the end of the stalk and the base of the can. The wire is then played with a friction bow, and the player controls the pitch by stopping the notes on the wire with his thumb and index finger.
This dance is performed in circular formations and symbolizes unity and love among the Basotho community.
Traditionally, a day starts long before sunrise. The women and girls prepare food for the herders and the whole family. The women and girls will grind corn or millets while the men and boys tend the livestock before taking the animals out to graze. Grinding, called ho sila, is a skill that mothers pass on to their daughters. While grinding, the women sing songs called pina-tsa-ts’iloana (songs of the grinding stone).
In the afternoon the girls will fetch wood and water which they do in groups while singing and dancing. Girls from different villages also compete against each other during autumn festivals in celebration of a good year of harvest. Here the girls will sing pina-tsa-mokopu (pumpkin songs).
A proficient lesiba player will start a song that everyone will dance to, with a leader stomping while moving his shoulders in a particular manner that the rest of the dancers follow and then the focho song follows.
In spring new life emerges and the need for rain is great. Men go on hunting trips (ba tsoa lets’olo) during which they pray for rain while maidens and young brides challenge neighbouring villages to lesokoana (a relay) in the name of rainfall.
It is a piece of tread with a lead of a bottle
Lekhitlane la lesapo is a lesser-known traditional Basotho musical instrument, and its name gives us some clues.
It is a traditional Basotho musical instrument-specifically, a drum made from cowhide stretched over a 20-litre tin. It plays a central role in litolobonya.
Is a traditional Basotho musical instrument, often associated with children's play and informal music- making.It's simple in design but rich in cultural value.