Mohalenyane Phakela
AS part of commemorations of the life and legacy of Moshoeshoe I, Montessori International School will host a cultural day on Saturday in Maseru.
Annually, the founder of the Basotho nation is historicised and remembered in multifaceted ways in the month of March in general and the 11th in particular, the day on which he died in 1870.
The cultural event is being organised by parents of the school’s grade five students in conjunction with the institution.
Speaking on behalf of the parents, Nozipho Nonyana, said the event is meant to give the children insight into the life of the iconic monarch, who worked tirelessly to preserve this country’s language, art, and culture.
“Since this is the month that we, Basotho, commemorate the life of our founder, we found it befitting to seize the moment by also holding the annual celebrations and teaching our children where we come from and how our ancestors used to live,” said Nonyana.
“As parents, some of us do not know much about our culture which makes it difficult to teach our children how we came to be a nation. Therefore, it is crucial to hold such events to also get to know more about our history.”
She added that the event will also accommodate other cultures as the school’s pupils are of different ethnicities and nationalities. This, Nonyana said, was in keeping with King Moshoeshoe’s well-known modus operandi of bringing people from various nations together.
“Morena Moshoeshoe made Lesotho a fortress for people from other nations who sought refuge in this country and taught Basotho that regardless of the ethnicity, we can still live together in peace and harmony,” she said.
“So the inclusion of other cultures will remind us of the compassion he had. The aim is also to remind ourselves that what Moshoeshoe I fought and stood for can still be adapted even today, which is living together in peace and harmony no matter our backgrounds.”
Nonyana said at the cultural day, traditional utensils, music and the tasting of food from both Lesotho and other nations represented at the event will also be exhibited. The international students will be expected to showcase their cultural dances and regalia. The Basotho dances will include Mohobelo and Mokhibo as well as such traditional games as Liketo and Sekata Majoana among others.
“It will be a relaxed environment and everybody is invited to come and chill, mingle and have fun as we share our different cultures,” she said.
Nonyana said the event will kick off with a fun-walk around Maseru West to the school.
