Videos from Swearing In

Before leaving the USA I received a Flip with the instruction to record some cultural events during my stay here.  For swearing in we had three performances which I was able to record and (with much trouble) am now able to share.

But first a little about music in Lesotho.  The Basotho are amazingly talented when it comes to singing. And where there is singing there is always dancing (as you will see in these videos); you can't have one with out the other.  There is also very little instrumentation.  I have seen the use of whistles and some percussion instruments but nothing fancy and nothing melodic.  The only instrument that is very common in Lesotho is a type of accordion instrument that is commonly heard in Famu music, a specific form of music only found in Lesotho.  There is a cult culture associated with this music.  From what I've heard, a singer (I've only heard males) uses the accordion as an accompaniment to his singing.  I've heard that the various artists are very competitive with the popularity of their music.  You can hear this music everywhere, in taxis, walking around town, and shops in the village.  But as popular as this music is, I, personally, am not a huge fan of this music.

But the lack of instrumental accompaniment doesn't stop the Basotho from sounding amazing for they are master harmonizers.  Basotho can harmonize in their sleep and they sound amazing all together.  I've seen instances where people just start singing and, with no prior practice, people will just join in and harmonize according to their vocal range.

Now the music in these videos are on the more traditional side but contemporary R&B has a prominent presence in the younger generations.  Kids here love Beyonce, R. Kelly (or Robert Kelly), Alicia Keyes, Jay Z, and I've heard some Adele on the radio (Shakira's popular for her one song...guess which one would make her popular in Southern Africa).  But what's interesting is that while these artists are beloved by everyone, only a few songs make it to Lesotho and they are known for those few songs.  So I'll be talking to kids and say, "I love this song by Beyonce," and they'll shake their heads and break out in "Single Ladies" (which everyone knows).

The first video is of the Berea High School choir.  This was the school I taught at during training to practice teaching.  I was in the back row and they were performing to the important people in front but I hope you can hear how good they are.

The second video is a mokhibo dance group from one of the other villages.

The final video is a litolobonya dance.