king (morena)

King Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the Basotho nation, signed a treaty in 1843 that placed his Kingdom under British protection. Basutoland, as the country was then called, became the independent nation of Lesotho on 4 October 1966, with King Moshoeshoe II as sovereign. Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy with an elected bicameral parliament consisting of a 60-seat National Assembly and a 33-seat Senate. The present monarch, King Letsie III, is a great grandson of King Moshoeshoe I.

kingdom (bokhosi)

Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy, the only one on the African continent. The monarch is Letsie III.

top

language (puo)

English is the official language, Sesotho (southern Sotho) is the national language. Some Zulu and Xhosa are also spoken. Sesotho is not supposed to be an easy language, due to its tonal features and its uncommon sounds. But I'm sure you'll agree with me that no language is "easy to learn". Here are some helpful words and expressions: [thuso--help]

Yes	E	----- /ay/
No	Che	----- /tcheh/
Food	Lijo	----- /deeJAW/
Water	Metsi	----- /mayTSEE/
Toilet	Ntloana	----- /ndlwana/
Car	Koloi	----- /koLOee/
Please	Ka kopo	----- /KAkoopaw/
Hello	Lumela (to one person)	----- /dooMEHla/
Hello	Lumelang (to 2 or more people)	----- /dooMEHLAng/
How are you?	U phela joang? (to one person)	----- /oo pheela jwang/
How are you?	Le phela joang? (to 2 or more people)	----- /Lee pheela jwang/
I'm fine, and you?	Kea phela, oena?	----- /Kia PHEEla, wehNAH/
I'm hungry	Ke lapile	----- /kee lapeelay/
I'm full	Ke khotše	----- /kee KHOOt-se/
My name is...	Lebitso laka ke...	----- /lehBEEtsaw LAKA kee.../
My surname is...	Fane eaka ke...	----- /FAHnee YAKA kee.../
I love you	Kea u rata	----- /kia oo RAta/
Thank you	Kea leboha/	----- /kia layBOOha/
Wake me up	Ntsose	----- /nTSOOseh/
I'm lost	Ke lahlehile	----- /kee LAH-HLAYheelay/
How much is it?	Ke bokae?	----- /KEE booka-EE/
It's expensive	E turu	----- /ee TOO-roo/
I'm serious	Ke tihile	----- /kee TEE-HEE-lay/
I'm sick	Kea kula	----- /kia koolah/
What are you gaping at?	O ahlametseng?	----- /oo AH-hlaMAYtsing/
Could I have some medicine?	Ke kopa moriana.	----- /keekoopa moRIAna/
Do you speak English/Xhosa?	Na o bua Sekhooa/Seqhotsa?	----- /NA o BUA seKHOOa / seQHOtsa/
I don't care.	Ha ke tsotelle.	----- /ha KEE TSOtay-L-lee/
What do you want?	O batlang? (sing.)	----- /oo bah clah-NG/
What do you want?	Le batlang? (pl.)	----- /lee bah clah-NG/
I want...	Ke batla...	----- /kee bah-clah/
We want...	Re batla...	----- /ree bah-clah/
I'm happy	Ke thabile	----- /kee tah-BEE lay/
We're happy	Re thabile	----- /ree tah-BEE lay/
Grandmother	Nkhono	----- /ng-KHOO-noo/
Grandfather	Ntate-moholo (literally: big father)	----- /ntah-TAY-moo-HOO-loo/
How was your trip?	O (sing.)/Le (pl.) tsamaile joang?	----- /oo-tsa-MAI-LAY-jwang/
Where's the hospital?	Sepetlele se hokae?	----- /seh-PEH-cleh-LEH si hoo-ka-i/

[ Resources ]

lesotho

Lesotho is a kingdom in southern Africa that is land-locked within the Republic of South Africa. It became a protectorate of Britain in 1884 and gained self-rule on 4 October 1966. Most of it is rugged and mountainous, and skiing and mountain-climbing are actually practised. The people of Lesotho are called Basotho, and they speak Sesotho which, together with English, is the official language.

top

malealea lodge ("hotele" ea malealea)

It works like this: although visitors come here to hike, camp, trek, sight-see, etc.--and the lodge will provide a list of trails and sight-seeing spots, and the like--the activity remains pony trekking. The lodge acts as middleperson for local horsemen, who actually own the ponies used, and receive the bulk of the money. Their website will provide you with every juicy detail and then some.

mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in 1918 in Qunu, in South-Africa's Eastern Cape. His political career really began in 1944 with the launching of a Youth League to give new life to the African National Congress, an organization composed of different prominent individuals who wanted to bring all Africans together as one people to fight for their rights in apartheid South-Africa. Mandela was imprisoned from 1964 to 1990 for doing just that. But he did not disappear. Instead he became a martyr and a global symbol of resistance to segregation. In 1993 Mandela and the president who set him free, F.W. de Klerk, jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize. Mr Mandela was elected the president in 1994 and served up to 1999.
[ Resources ]

maseru (motse oa maseru)

Maseru (pronounced mah-say-ROO), the capital city of Lesotho, has a population of about 160 000 and lies on the Mohokare or Caledon river, right on the border with South Africa. There is an international airport at Thoteng-ea-moli, a stone's throw away. Maseru was a small colonial trading town when it was made the capital of the Basotho people by Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the nation, in 1869. It was the capital of the British Basutoland protectorate until 1966, when Lesotho became independent. Many old buildings from that time can still be seen. Not too far from Maseru are: Roma, the site of the National University, Thaba Bosiu, Moshoeshoe I's fortress where ruins of his village and the royal burial grounds remain, and Morija, the country's education engine set up by French missionaries who arrived in Lesotho in 1833. Morija has the only museum in Lesotho.

men (banna)

Monna (man), ntate (father), monghali (gentleman, Mr.) moshanyana (boy, lad), mora (son), abuti (brother), moholoane (older brother) are some of the words we use to talk about men. They make up about 46% of the total adult population, and basically run the show, or think they do. I have always found most Basotho men, like most other men on the rest of the continent, macho, insensitive, and inconsiderate toward everybody else, especially women. Don't get me wrong, however. Some Basotho men are loving, caring and sensitive husbands and fathers. Unfortunately they are a rare species, indeed.
[  |  ] [ Resources ]

men's associations (mekhatlo ea bo-ntate)

• Christian Men's Network, Box 8174, Maseru 106, Lesotho
• We're still looking for other associations and clubs for men in Lesotho, other than sports clubs and the like.

top

mofolo, mokopu thomas

Ntate Mofolo was born in Lesotho in 1876, and died in 1948. He was the greatest of the writers who sprang up in the early part of the 20th century writing in Sesotho for the Morija Sesuto Book Depot. In 1907 he penned 'Moeti oa Bochabela' (The Traveller to the East) and in 1910 'Pitseng'. 'Chaka' was written in about 1910 but at that time Mr Mofolo left his job as proof reader and reviewer for the publications of the mission, and the book was published years later in 1925.

mokhehle

Ntsu Mokhehle was born in Teyateyaneng in 1918. He founded and led the Basutoland Congress Party, from which he later broke away to found the Lesotho Congress for democracy. In 1993, Lesotho had its first free election in 23 years. Mokhehle's BCP won a landslide victory, and he became prime minister. In 1994 fighting between two rival army factions troubled the nascent democracy. The king ousted Mokhehle, but was later pressured by SADC nations to reinstate him. In 1995, Letsie III abdicated in favour of his father, Moshoeshoe II. After Moshoeshoe was killed in a car accident in 1996, Letsie III was restored to the throne. In 1997, Mokhehle remained prime minister as he broke from his initial party, the BCP, and founded the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD).

top