Basotho Culture

The lesson has finally come where I am going to teach you about Basotho culutre. Let's begin with personal interaction. The Basotho greet everyone, friend, family, or stranger. A simple hello will not suffice, one must inquire about how the other is doing, the status of health, and the welfare of the family. I really embrace this part of the culture, and I find it greatly helps my Sesotho. You must also greet everyone individually, not as a group.

Housing: Homes are more like communal villages than individual houses. The heart of the home is the kitchen. It is built first, followed by other rooms when funds allow. The huts are typically made of rocks, logs, and mud. The wealthier families do use bricks. Roofs are made of dried grass (thatch) or tin. I have a thatch roof, thank goodness... much cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Oh and it is sooo much quieter! We gets buckets upon buckets of rain in Thaba Tseka, the thatch keeps the noise to a low rumble. Unfortunately, thatch has to be replaced every couple of years. Mine could probably go for some replacing about now, it leaks pretty badly. I don't mind though, it's part of the experience and it beats tin.

Life revolves around the sun. Right now it is summer, so we wake up at about 5AM and hit the sack at around 8PM. I actually have electricity, but I have been in my home all week and I have only seen about 15 minutes of power. Needless to say, it is pretty unreliable. There is no running water so collecting water at the pump is a social gathering. It is the job of women and children to gather the water. I am using about 30 liters a week for bathing, laundry, dishes, and drinking. I have become extremely conscious/conscience of my water usuage. The pumps run out of water frequently and it is extremely heavy. The women and children can carry the water on their heads... I can't. Lesotho is running out of water and sadly the majority of the people here can't conseptualize the future so there is very little conservation.

Cleanliness: Despite the dust and amount of walking this country requires the Basotho are SOOO clean. The floors are swept at least once a day, often times upwards of three to five times EACH day. The brooms are made of dried grass (like the roofs) and in my opinion the sweeping is a back breaking job, forget the long handles American brooms have. They even sweep the dirt to make it "smooth." I can't for the life of me wrap my head around this. The floor is mopped and polished every other day. The polish is simply wax from melted candles. When washing dishes there is no rinsing. Simply, place your dish in a water bath and then scrub with soap, and place on a rag for drying.

Meals/food: An everyday meal consist of Papa (delicious) and vegetable relish (rape, tomatoes, and/or onions) fried in GENEROUS amounts of oil. Meat is a luxury! ALL Basotho love it, very very can actually afford it. There is also wealth associated with rice. You do not drink (any liquid) with your meals. The norm is wash hands, eat until full (or the food is gone), wash hands, and then quickly drink a cup of tea, coffee, or water. Eating in the presence of someone else without inviting him/her to join is considered rude.

That is about all I can handle for now. Don't worry, I have not even covered Dress/Hygiene (my FAVORITE topics). Love it or hate it, it's tradition!