History through non-written sources

In the continent of Africa, there is not much history that was written down that people can refer back to today. Because of this, most history has been passed down orally. This is the most common form of passing it down, but in some countries there are alternative methods. Lesotho is a country that has a history that is passed down in many different non-written aspects. This nation state is full of culture and history that is passed down through cave drawing, songs, and even blanket making. In each of these examples there are stories that are told even though not all can be explain.

Throughout Africa there are several places one can find cave painting. One of these places is in the Drakensburg Mountains that span across Lesotho. On the left their is a picture of these paintings. Looking at this cave painting that I have personally seen etched by the San people thousands of years ago can tell a vast story through their drawings. Even though specific detail cannot be brought out from all of the cave paintings, many of them are religious which is  the case in this particular drawing.

In Lesotho culture, music is a very popular activity. It is used for entertainment, worship, story telling and even gang war. The Basotho (people of Lesotho) use string instruments which are similar to guitars, a five gallon barrel with rubber spread over the top for a drum with a mounted wire which bottle caps are stuck through for a tambourine, and typically something similar to an accordion. These instruments come together to form their music which contains lyrics of history and story telling.                                                                                                                                                      

Along with their music, the Basotho use something important that shows their history. This item is the Basotho blanket. This blanket is used as a coat, a baby wrap, a bed, a tent, and of course a blanket. This blanket has symbols on them and designs that represent their particular clan. This is an essential for every Basotho to promote and show their heritage and what clan that they are proudly part of. This blanket would contain stories of their past villages and history of their nation depending on the clan.   

Geography and Features

Lesotho is country located in southern Africa and is completely surrounded by South Africa. It is the only country to be completely surrounded by another single country. It is a small country spanning the area of only 11,583 square miles. Just like its size, it also has a small population. There are only around two million people that inhabit this country of Lesotho. On the border, only few miles from South Africa lies the capital, Maseru. The border to South Africa and Lesotho is considered to be one of the busiest borders in the world considering how much traffic is exchanged daily due to traveling and work.

When discussing the geography of Lesotho, it is hard not to mention how mountainous of a country it is. This enclave is the only independent state in the world to have the whole country at 1,000 meters above sea-level. Since this country is so small, it makes Lesotho the highest country in the world in terms of height above sea-level. Lesotho is almost split into three different areas. On the west side, there are the lowlands and the city area. On the east, there are the Maloti and Drakensburg Mountain Ranges. Dividing these two regions is the valley where Orange River is found. Contrary to most stereotypes received about Africa, Lesotho has a cold climate. This climate is cooler because Lesotho is further from the equator than most people think. Being colder, this has effected the spread of diseases such as malaria. Lesotho does have its own diseases to worry about though, and those are HIV/AIDs. Lesotho has the second largest AIDs rate in the world closing flowing their neighbor Swaziland. Almost one out of every four people living in Lesotho have this disease and it is killing this nation. 

When looking at the natural resources of Lesotho, one can see that geography has taken its toll. Because of the cool climate and mountainous terrain, farming is something that is scare. Not being on the coast and being a landlocked nation has also hurt Lesotho's chance at trading. Their main imports that they can not grow themselves come from South Africa. In exchange, Lesotho provides them with water that has been collected in dams in the mountains. Lesotho has used this along with technology to help create hydroelectric sources of energy. Along with water, Lesotho has diamonds located in the Maloti mines which provide revenue. Lesotho is also very reliant on tourist to take their famed pony treks along the mountains of the low lands.