Lesotho ’M’a Basotho

Mohapeloa completed ‘Lesotho ’M ’a Basotho’ in 1974, publishing it in Cape Town in 1976 as song No. 1 of 25 in Meluluetsa ea Ntšetso-pele le Bosechaba Lesotho (Anthems for the Development of the Lesotho Nation). It encapsulates the spirit of the whole songbook, and of the development work that prevailed in Lesotho ten years after the country’s independence in 1966. The narrator speaks from the perspective of youth, whose country is depicted as their mother, and Mohapeloa’s dedication (‘khethelo’) at the beginning of the book is, “To the young generation of the Basotho, who can defy divisiveness and face the challenge Lesotho ‘m’a Basotho has offered to eradicate poverty, ignorance, soil erosion, disease and fear”.