Lesotho

The ski resorts of Africa were the last thing I expected to find on this trip. Africa has indoor ski areas in Egypt, a sand ski area in Namibia, several ski areas in the Atlas mountains of Morocco and Algeria, and the Afriski Mountain Resort in the small country of Lesotho in southern Africa. Skiing in Lesotho might not get the ratings of the resorts here in California, but their other mountain sports are world class. Examples include:

· Wingsuit flight on the border between South Africa and Lesotho: https://the-earth-story.com/post/187034751239/original-caption-the-drakensberg-mountain-range

· Dirt bike racing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfF7Tzjo-A8

· More dirt bike racing (this is worth the fee either if you love dirt bike racing or for the beautiful photography): https://www.amazon.com/Roof-Africa-Kiwi-Domination/dp/B00G4HZMOW

· Mountain bike racing (no video on this one, but the pictures are cool): https://www.subaru.co.za/riders-of-the-sky/

· Motorcycling (the group gets to Lesotho at the 22 minute mark): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1tqLchAIU

Besides enjoying sports in the beautiful mountains of Lesotho, I found an engaging movie. The Forgotten Kingdom is about a young man who returns home to Lesotho after years in South Africa. I watched it online through the San Bernardino County Library. The Los Angeles County Library has it on DVD and it may also be ordered from the movie’s webpage: http://www.forgottenkingdomthemovie.com/

I wanted to read Basali! Stories by and about Women in Lesotho, but didn’t choose to buy the one overpriced used copy on Amazon. I will pass along Ann Morgan’s review here: https://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/2012/10/22/lesotho-womens-rites/

Instead, I read Basutoland: It's Legends and Customs by Minnie Martin because it was easily available from Project Gutenberg. I enjoyed the traditional stories, but the history shows that it is a book of its time. Martin describes and deplores the injustices done to the people of the country, but believes they should be treated as children. I skipped forward from those musings and went straight to the traditional stories starting in chapter 10: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44456

For history from a more recent perspective, I picked up Basotho by Gary Van Wyk from the San Bernardino County Library as well as the children’s book Kings and Queens of Southern Africa by Sylviane Anna Diouf. This book has a chapter on “Moshoeshoe, King of the Sotho." Lesotho also has interesting rock art and traditional items held in museums with resources here:

· This article on the caves of Lesotho has pictures of ancient rock art you can click through: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/lesotho-caves-basotho-pilgrimage-san-art/index.html

· From this page, you can click on the traditional artifacts from Lesotho to learn more about each of them: https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/media/index?Country=26&MediaType=Image&action_=Use+Filter

· Some more recent art history and pictures of art in Lesotho are included here: https://contemporaryand.com/magazines/the-state-of-visual-arts-in-lesotho/

Two episodes of Africa on a Plate dedicate themselves to Lesotho and its capitol Maseru. I wasn’t able to find the full episodes, but these five minute clips from them have quite a bit of interesting information:

· Lesotho: https://theafricachannel.com/watch/clip-lesotho/

· Maseru: https://theafricachannel.com/watch/clip-maseru/

To plan a meal from Lesotho, check here: https://www.internationalcuisine.com/about-food-and-culture-of-lesotho/

Energetic and upbeat music from Lesotho can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8KPW3TLd0k

Tapestries and blankets from Lesotho are popular. You can shop for them at:

· Setsoto Design Gallery: http://www.setsotodesign.com/gallery.html

· Basotho Heritage Blankets: https://basothoheritageblankets.com/

Some of the best places to visit in Lesotho are here https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-lesotho/#more-19467 and yes, I would love to go! I am looking forward to a time when we can travel again and hoping we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in Lesotho and throughout the world.

Photo Credit: fiverlocker https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiverlocker/3442822312/