African Art and Culture

Country Research Project
Author Name
Institution Affiliation
VII. Describing the Art and Culture
African cultures have not existed in isolation, meaning there have always been movement, exchange, or trade of ideas. Different forms of art and culture are depicted in the media, literature, film, festivals, music, cuisines, and religions of Lesotho (Meyers, 2017). For instance, urban life is a perfect blend of traditional and western cultures. In Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho, different markets and shops are present where local goods and crafts are sold in a large number. In addition, the way some of the residential and commercial buildings are constructed reflects the colonial impact. This city also has urban villages where tourists are given a chance to explore the culture and traditions of Lesotho closely. The media industry is not well-developed, but different artists or musicians have their origins in Lesotho and are dominating the world in one way or the other. The work of Lesotho’s artists has been prized by collectors.
The first notable influencer of art and culture is DJ Spele. Born in November 1987 in Maseru, DJ Spele is a famous composer who has influenced the way music is composed (Stuckey, 2008). He is regarded as the first Mosotho to compose progressive house music. He has more than forty tracks on his name, The journey of life ft Queen Mo, Pacific is dry ft Skillz, and Light in your eyes ft Lyla being the best of them. The second noticeable person who has influenced the art and culture is Mokete Shadrack Chakela. He is widely famous with the name of Mosotho Chakela and was born in Mafeteng in 1964. He is a cultural music singer and is famous for following the music tradition known as famo. He released his first album in 1999, which was named Manka le Phallang 1.
Atwell Sidwell Mopeli-Paulus, also known as A.S. Mopeli-Paulus, was born in 1913 and was a popular author or writer from Lesotho. Throughout his life, he continued writing short stories, poems, and novels in both English and Sesotho. One of his famous novels is To Travel Is To Learn, which was written and published in 1945. Turn to the Dark, and Blanket Boy’s Moon are among his other works. Secondly, Zakea Dolphin Mangoaela was the writer who left ever-lasting impacts on local and international people through his written materials. He was born in February 1883 in Cape of Good Hope and emerged as an African writer and folklorist. He was raised in Lesotho, and his famous works include Lithoko tsa Marena a Basotho (published in 1921) and Har'a libatana le linyamatsa...