Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

From the moment of European intervention during the late nineteenth century through the colonial period up to contemporary times, Lesotho (formerly Basutoland), a tiny southern African kingdom completely surrounded by the modern state of South Africa, has experienced popular resistance of one kind or another. While the earlier phase of this resistance tended to be spearheaded by Basotho chiefs wishing to protest the erosion of power by colonial rule, the later period was marked by growing popular, frequently spontaneous, action by the general population. The Lesotho kingdom was formed in 1818 as a comparatively decentralized entity by King Moshoeshoe I. The existence of the pitso , an assembly of chiefs and commoners, allowed fairly open and frank discussion of issues of major policy. The kingdom was considered among the most highly democratic in southern African precolonial societies, providing a forum for the Basotho people. The kingdom had a tradition of meetings where commoners articulated grievances against rulers. Typically, the authorities did not engage in severe retribution in response to open criticism of the authorities at the pitso. On the contrary, anyone asking “awkward” questions of the chiefs usually received the admiration of the audience, though occasionally at “the displeasure of the chiefs” ( Gill 1993 : 49). This culture of vigorous public debate runs throughout ... log in or subscribe to read full text