Chao

Mohapeloa wrote ‘Chao’ in the 1930s. The text and the music tell two slightly different stories: the text refers to a traditional dance style in which everyone joins in – even the ancestors’ presence is invoked. But ‘Chao’ is not the name of a traditional dance, and the musical style is modern, almost hinting at a Basotho township style called famo, in which stamping, a strong beat, whistles, and a concertina or accordion accompany singing and dancing. Mohapeloa’s brother recalls that when his songs first came out in the 1930s, he “was encouraged by the way people enjoyed his music. But there were people who were asking themselves whether these were songs: are they not dance songs. Some criticized them”.