Basotho Culture with Lesedi FM

The majority of Sesotho speakers reside in the Free State Province and Gauteng Province (77.5%). Sesotho describes the language and not the people who are known as the Basotho. The Basotho are also known as the Southern Sotho. Chief Moshoeshoe I is the reputed founder of the Sotho nation (including Sepedi and SeTswana speakers) in the mid to late 1700's. The Chief united many Nguni and Sotho clans after the devastating wars of Difaqane (Shaka's programme of expansion and nation building) into what is now known as the Kingdom of Lesotho, including the Free State and southern Gauteng regions. In 1884, Lesotho became a British protectorate and became an independent country in 1966. The arrival of missionaries, Boer settlers and the incorporation into the monetary economy impacted on the Basotho social life and worldview. Most converted to Christianity and developed a strong literary tradition. Democracy was established with difficulty in Lesotho, with the first elected leader being eventually removed by coup in 1986. From 1990, a new period of elective government began.