Africa-Press – Lesotho. AT a time when Lesotho is hogging the limelight for the wrong reasons as the world headquarters of homicides, a group of innovative Basotho is now using tourism to promote Moshoeshoe I’s principles of peace.
Taking a leaf from King Moshoeshoe’s famous invitation to cannibals who had eaten his grandfather, Peete, the group is turning the home of the cannibals into a tourism site.
“This could even be more because other sectors were not measured,” Thoola said.
Through a project called Raboshabane Renewal and Cultural Festival the group is inviting interested companies and individuals to partner with the community to build a viable tourist centre around the once feared cannibal Raboshabane’s rock.
The group has established the Morena Mohale Mitchel Seeiso Foundation to raise funds for the Moshoeshoe’s peace-making ventures through lectures and seminars.
The group leader, Retšelisitsoe Tlali, says they are working on mobilising the local community in Ha-Maama, especially close to the rock of Raboshabane, to be prepared to welcome tourists in homestays.
The festival, which started last year in August, will be an annual event which Tlali says is expected to bring hundreds of tourists from around the country and beyond.
The main theme is forging peace as Moshoeshoe did with Raboshabane and his warriors of cannibals after they ate his grandfather. Despite being in a position to exact revenge, Tlali says, Moshoeshoe extended his hand of reconciliation and offered them land, cattle and grain for their livelihood.
By so doing he cleansed them from performing acts of cannibalism, he says. “The saddening part is that with all this rich history Lesotho was rated the sixth worst country in the world in homicides as judiciary system broke down,” he says.
With the challenge of murders, rapes, gender-based violence and human trafficking, the foundation under the custody of Principal Chief of Ha-Maama, a direct descendent of Moshoeshoe, will oversee the festival with the aim to heal the nation.
Tlali says the political indifference that has made Basotho insensitive to the needs of others requires the nation to revisit Moshoeshoe’s peace-making ideology.
Raboshabane’s rock was the headquarters of cannibals that roamed modern-day Lesotho, what is now Free State and Gauteng, and parts of Kwa-Zulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape during the 18th century Lifaqane wars.
It was on this rock where Raboshabane was captured by Moshoeshoe’s mighty warriors but was not killed because the king wanted to rehabilitate him so that in turn he could rehabilitated his followers.
“We have a serious challenge of moral bankruptcy and no one will change the status quo other than the present generation,” Tlali says.
“Once the criminal elements are defeated Lesotho will enjoy a higher rate of tourism since it is a country with very high mountains, snow, natural water and presently it holds the biggest bikes competition, namely Roof Africa.
Tlali says Lesotho has been one of the countries enjoying a high volume of tourists but the present criminal acts are planting fear within the industry.
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