Phokojoe E Khoaba

‘Phokojoe e Khoaba’ is a song about the black-backed jackal, a light brown fox-like animal with long legs and a grey-black ‘saddle’ along its back. It is a common sight in the safari parks and nature reserves of southern Africa but probably rare now in the rural areas of Lesotho because it has been so prized for its meat and skin, a fact the song clearly imparts. A carnivore, it feeds off almost anything: carrion, small wild animals, insects, birds, reptiles, fruit and vegetables, and also domestic animals, which means that it is not popular with farmers.