MEDIA personality Thando Thabethe has finally broken her silence following her sudden resignation from 5FM.

In a Twitter thread on Wednesday, Thabethe revealed some shocking details that led to her exit from the station, stating that she was the last to find out that her show, the Thabooty Drive was canned.

Detailing her reasons why she resigned, Thabethe wrote: “Context first: 5FM had and acting programme and station manager for a couple of months, they finally appointed JD Mostert and Siyanda Fikelephi as Station and Programme Manager respectively.

“On Friday 28 February I had a meeting with the PM who let me know that the show was renewed, as per our annual negotiations. I then tried to negotiate a raise of R200 an hour. At this point he had agreed for me to take two weeks leave to shoot housekeepers.”

She explained further: “Fast forward (to) the following Monday, I hear that the Thabooty drive will be no longer as it doesn’t fit into the 2/5-year plan of the SABC. This info I hear from colleagues or people on my show. At this point I hear that the replacement of the show had already been notified and so had my current teammates. Note: I was the last to find out that my very own show no longer existed!”

She added: “I was offered…wait for it…SUNDAYS 4-7am. I have ploughed many hours into the work that I do, and found this an insult after 11 years on radio. I then proceeded to resign. The current line up at 5FM is not a representation of the diverse country that we live in. It’s also very easy to dub me as “demanding” to the powers that be in the hope that the truth doesn’t come out.

“The truth eventually did come out, I was then offered my original slot back, which I declined, in the fear of being victimised by the very same people who wanted me gone to begin with.

“Because I have been in this industry for a while and understand 100 percent that shows are shuffled and changed annually. My gripe is the lies told to me and about me for personal gains. I hope this never happens to anyone else. I know of many stories where artistes are mistreated…And hope that others will be able to speak up when unfairly labelled and treated,” Thabethe tweeted. -IOL

The post Thando Thabethe reveals details of 5FM exit appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Nthatuoa Koeshe

YME Tunes chief executive officer Sirschaba says the government must consider bailing out the entertainment industry as it is one of the worst affected sectors of the economy by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Born Sechaba Mokoqo, Sirschaba said this in an interview with the Weekender this week.

His sentiments come on the back of the “I lost a gig Lesotho campaign”, a social media programme to conscientise the public of the losses that the arts sector has incurred due to the ongoing Coronavirus induced lockdown.

Lesotho went into a lockdown last month as the government moved to curb the spread of the virus. The lockdown entailed the postponement of several arts events including musical gigs inline with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendations for social distancing.

Although Lesotho is yet to record any cases, the virus has killed almost 30 people in neighbouring South Africa and infected close to 2 500 people. Globally, infections have surpassed the 2 million mark while deaths are nearing 130 000.

YME Tunes launched the “I lost a gig Lesotho campaign” on 9 April to raise awareness on the plight of the artistes.

Sirschaba said the initiative is meant to sensitise the public and the government of the harsh effects of the pandemic on the arts sector since they no longer have any income after the cancellation of their gigs and restriction of movements.

“We have artistes who perform at the main bus stop in Maseru to promote their music but they cannot do that now because of the Coronavirus pandemic,” Sirschaba said.

He said some promoters had already invested in shows that have now been postponed or cancelled.

Therefore, the government, in the event that it comes up with a bail out for other sectors, must also consider the sector.

The artistes have also implored the public to desist from posting their music online without their consent.

“We have posted a poster on social media for people to support us by using it as their profile picture in support of the initiative. When we posted the poster, over 100 people have shared our message and we estimate that about 100 000 people have seen the message… We hope it will have an impact,” Sirschaba said.

The post Bail out artistes: Sirschaba appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

THE search is underway for a model to become the Lesotho Fashion Week (LSFW) for the next one year.

The LSFW told the Weekender this week that the competition is open to Basotho who are 18 years and above. The applicants are expected to submit a one-minute introductory video of themselves stating why they deserve to be selected.

The videos will be accompanied by the model’s Z-card (a marketing portfolio for models). These, and a bust shot of the applicant, must be sent to the LSFW’s head of production Thato Fonya by 30 April 2020.

Public voting will be done online on 1 May while the winner will be announced on 1 June.

The winner will get a paid for photo and video shoot, placement for campaigns and on the LSFW runway and a fully paid for look book. The winner will also get the services of a public relations manager for the one year that they will be contracted.

Fonya said the face of the LSFW is integral to the planning of the event and its publicity.

“The face of the LSFW will take part in all our local and international campaigns including television adverts, magazine photoshoots, working with our sponsors and shooting various videos for our social media platforms as part of our 2020 promotions,” Fonya said.

“In addition, the winner will secure a place on our model casting judging panel, which takes place twice a year. They will also earn a spot in two seasons of the LSFA.”

Apart from the search for the inaugural face of the fashion week, the LSFW is involved in two initiatives including a wool and mohair design contest aimed at ensuring that the fabric is processed locally. The contest will also give two young creatives an opportunity to partake in the next season LSFW. The second initiative involves the launch of The Fashion Business, a weekly audio podcast starting on 1 May 2020.

LSFW is a business to business marketing platform for fashion, footwear, accessories and jewelry in Lesotho which also hosts bi-annual presentations of its women’s and men’s collections. Designers are also afforded the opportunity to wholesale their pieces to local and international boutiques and online stores at a trade show which runs concurrently with the presentations.

This year’s LSFW was initially set to run from 17 to 19 April at The Anne Guesthouse in Maseru but was last month suspended indefinitely due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Founder of the fashion week, Mahadi Granier, said they were expecting both local and international guests and fashion designers at the event hence it was prudent to suspend the event as a precaution.

“With an expected large attendance of international guests, we believe we have a responsibility to take the necessary precautions that prioritise the health and safety of our designers, our guests and nation as whole,” Granier said last month.

The post Search underway for face of Lesotho Fashion Week appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

BATTLE rap league, Dirt Mouth, has ended its hiatus with the launch of the Lockdown Sessions, its debut YouTube clash between True Myth and Deezy Da Real on 20 April 2020.

The enforcement of lockdowns in several countries across the globe in an attempt to curb the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to various battle leagues taking the virtual route.

Although Lesotho is yet to report a single case, the government imposed the ongoing lockdown starting on 30 March 2020 initially up to 21 April and now up to 5 May 2020.

Online shows, as entertainers and revellers alike try to beat the lockdown boredom, have become increasingly popular and Dirt Mouth’s organisers have now joined the trend.

In addition to the True Myth vs Deezy Da Real battle, King Shadow will also battle Ciro while Phizzy Khor will face off with Futuristic.

Dirt Mouth is a platform for rappers (MCs) to exercise their lyrical prowess by slurring each other, normally in front of cheering-or even-jeering audiences.

For the online version, the MCs each record a single round of two-minute-long rap video clips sent to the Dirt Mouth team who then edit them into a combined clip. The clip will then be released to the viewers who will vote on their preferred artiste on the Versus Lesotho Facebook page.

One of the organisers, Sekila Molapo aka OG Skillz, told the Weekender that they were happy to be back having last held an event last October. He said the time off gave them a chance to introspect.

“In all honesty, we never anticipated to be absent for this long,” OG Skillz said.

“We initially thought we would be back with another show in December but that wasn’t to be. We therefore believe that we are on the right course to a self-sustainable project soon.”

Last year Dirt Mouth enjoyed sponsorship from Vodacom Lesotho which allowed the organisers to reward the rappers financially. They however, failed to renew the contract.

OG Skillz hopes they will land a new sponsor soon.

“There are no prizes for the winners. One can also look at this as a friendly contest for rappers to sharpen their skills.”

He said their objective was to open the stage for new acts so that the audiences can get acquainted to them.

“The Lockdown Sessions serve as a recruitment process to unearth new talent that can hopefully be cultivated into something that can be considered world class someday.”

For Deezy, the battle was challenging because there was no audience present and he also had to record his own performance.

“I tried harder than usual to get in a state that showed aggression and would intimidate the opponent. This is unlike on stage where your presence is enough to get your opponent to choke through their rounds,” Deezy said.

For his part, veteran rapper and Dirt Mouth alumni Futuristic said despite approaching his battle as he would any other, “the lack of an audience, whose presence and participation can influence a battle MC’s individual performance and the entire battle itself” was a challenge.

He also encouraged both rappers and organisers to collaborate to grow the battle rap movement.

“I also think battle MCs must understand that it doesn’t have to be so personal all the time; all that hate is bad for the culture,” Futuristic said.

The post Dirt Mouth goes online appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Nthatuoa Koeshe

IT is almost impossible not to notice the increase in the number of women who continue to opt for natural hair but the question still remains: to relax or not to relax?

Self-taught trichologist, Hape Marite, recently let the Weekender into her new hair studio to share the story of her journey and passion for natural hair. So passionate is Hape that she has even come up with her own hair products.

She told the Weekender that the idea of opening a natural hair studio was birthed soon after her realisation that none of the local hair salons specialised with natural hair.

Still in its trial phase, the hair studio is a partnership with Hape’s mother, ‘Makatleho Marite, who has been supporting the business from its initiation phases.

The two now manage the studio located at Lower Thamae in Maseru.

Hape said although she has always loved good hair, she never imagined herself working on other people’s hair.

“I loved the idea of having good hair and would even wake up in the dead of the night to comb my hair whenever I had it relaxed.

She said she has been though different hair phases but transitioning to natural hair was a personal journey for her.

“My hair is type 4BC and it has fine strands and very low density, so it’s known to be fluffy hair and relaxing it made it fluffier. As a result, I started reacting to relaxers. My skin was flacking and hair falling off and I stared researching if I really needed to relax my hair.”

She then realised during the research that relaxers are linked to many diseases among them fibroids and skin cancers among others.

“Our hair is perceived unmanageable but I am trying to counter that. Our hair is manageable as long as it’s grown with the right techniques.”

She said many people detest natural black hair but the studio would change the perceptions by proving that it is manageable and can be softened as long as it is given adequate time and care to allow it to grow.

“Most people do not take the time to study their hair and that is where we come in. People should come and consult so that we analyse their hair and advise them on the solutions.”

In 2015, Hape started making her own hair products in her mother’s kitchen having started growing natural hair in 2012.

She then started reading and researching more about natural hair and discovered several solutions.

“It first started as a personal solution to my hair problems and then I started sharing these solutions with people who admired my hair and kept asking what I was using,” Hape said.

The post Hape opens natural hair studio appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

SOCIAL media sensation Boitelo Thakholi aka Spacebah hopes to use the attention his gags have garnered as a launch pad for his comedy career.

While playing a game of Liboko with his friends one June 2010 night, Spacebah accidentally bumped heads with his friend leaving him with some cracked and loose teeth. Spacebah however, decided to have the teeth removed due to the pain he endured.

From that time, he was immediately nicknamed Lisene, a name given to people with dentures. And he added a twist to it, calling himself Spacebah (space bar).

In February this year, the jester posted a video on Facebook where he joked about his dentures. He said he was now unable to eat certain foods because of his lack of teeth. The climax of his clip was his proclamation that the loss of teeth did not in any way dwindle his charm as he was still attracting beautiful women. The clip has now attracted 32 000 views.

Born in Roma, Spacebah says he has always had a knack for comedy having started warming up to the genre when he was in Form B at St Thomas High School in Matelile, Mafeteng.

Spacebah told the Weekender this week that he would crack jokes in the middle of classes until his Science teacher, Posholi Maluke, helped him get performance slots at school events.

“After my former teacher realised how funny I was, I got an opportunity to showcase my talent in front of students, staff and guests at our school events,” Spacebah said.

“In 2018, I took part in the comedy category of a public speaking competition held at Methodist High School (Maseru) by African Leaders Hub. I then qualified for the next level of the competition that was meant to be held in Cape Town. However, due to lack of funds, I failed to travel.”

He said he was inspired to keep going by the genre’s ability to heal souls and of course, the fact that his friends found it as a worthy escape.

“Friends would come and offload their problems on me and my jokes relieved them,” he said.

Although he is still young, Spacebah does not aspire to further his education. Instead, he chooses to focus on honing his talent.

Although he acknowledges his parents, Mathalea Seeiso and Richard Thakholi’s desire for him to find a course to study, he says they fully support his dream. He moved out of his family’s Matelile home in February 2020 to live in Borokhoaneng, Maseru as his parents saw it fit that he experiences life on his own.

Apart from pursing his dream of being a comedian, Spacebah also uses his platform to sell advertising space as he assures the placement will be seen by over 2000 people.

Spacebah says despite having garnered over 80 000 views on his Facebook page, with most comments being positive, he still receives negative feedback.

He however, says he has grown affectionate towarsds his fans.

He said followers who may be curious to know what happened to his teeth must stay tuned to his Facebook page.

Spacebah aspires to perform at high profile gigs and hopes for a long career as a comedian.

The post Spacebah speaks on comedy career appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

LESOTHO’S representative at the 2021 Africa Pageant, Rethabile Letsoepa dreams of becoming a beauty queen with a purpose and hopes to start projects to assist the less fortunate.

Aside from modeling, Letsoepa is a bookkeeper at Drivers Training Centre in Leribe and is awaiting the National University of Lesotho’s (NUL) August intake to enroll for a Nursing and Midwifery course.

The 19-year-old told the Weekender on Monday that she was encouraged by her Computer Studies teacher, Tsheli Sootho to start modelling as early as 2013. However, she only gathered the courage to contest in pageants during her final year at Butha-Buthe High School in 2017.

“I took part in the Miss Butha-Buthe High School 2017 edition and was crowned queen,” Letsoepa said adding: “That was the happiest day of my life”.

That same year, she was crowned Miss Valentine’s at Crocodile Inn Hotel (Butha-Buthe) and Miss North’s Finest in Peka. She however, came second in the Miss Teen Butha-Buthe pageant.

Letsoepa said by participating in the Miss Valentine’s contest, she realised that she “needed to become a beauty queen with a purpose and not be in pageants for fame”. This made her desire to do more to help others as opposed to spending large sums of money on makeup artists and photo shoots.

“I wanted to give back to my community by way of donating to the needy and in order to achieve that, I had to join bigger pageants,” Letsoepa said.

She came second in the Face of Lesotho 2018, a platform through which she was able to find sponsors to fund her career. Letsoepa also took part in Machabeng College’s fashion show later that year.

Having started her first year of Nursing at Xuzhou Medical University in China in 2018, Letsoepa returned home in April 2019 for personal reasons.

Returning home allowed her to focus once again on pageants while awaiting to reapply at a new school and she took the opportunity to join Africa Pageant in December 2019.

Miss Africa is held by Africa Pageants, a continental modeling company. The Africa Pageant has five categories in particular, namely: Mrs Africa, Mrs Africa Classic, Ms Africa Elite, Ms Africa and Miss Africa.

Letsoepa was in February this year announced one of the 25 finalists in the Miss Africa category. The models are all aged 18 to 24 years.

She says all the competitions that she has participated in have helped her grow.

“I joined beauty pageants because they give me the perfect platform to help those in need and I’m looking forward to smiles on people’s faces,” Letsoepa said.

In 2018 Letsoepa donated clothes to children in Tsikoane during the Face of Lesotho pageant week and provided hand sanitisers to taxi drivers in Butha-Buthe in March 2020 on the back of the coronavirus outbreak.

For her part, Carolyn Botha, the chief executive officer of Pageants SA (South Africa), said the participants help to promote tourism in their African countries.

“Africa Pageants wants to emphasise the splendor of African landmarks through their brand and magnificent title holders.

“These women shine globally while they showcase the splendor of our beautiful African continent to the world,” Botha said.

She added that the legacies of winners are set through humanitarian work done through the Africa Pageants Foundation.

Botha said they are hoping to host the 2021 Africa Pageant from 12 to 22 November 2020 in the North West Province.

The post Rethabile Letsoepa speaks on modeling journey appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

AFRISKI Mountain Resort has introduced a M1 million automated snowmaking system that uses a reduced amount of energy while maximising snow production.

The implementation of the system started at the end of April 2020. The system was installed by MND Group while the commissioning and testing started on 1 May.

The equipment comprises of a storage dam located at the top of the mountain, a one-kilometre pipeline, a snowmaking booster pump, a transformer and electrical controls.

In the past, the resort relied on snowmakers to manually monitor wind, temperature and humidity conditions.

Afriski Mountain Resort’s snow production due to favourable conditions

Afriski is a tourist destination located in the Drakensberg-Maluti Mountains of the Butha-Buthe district and attracts 10 000 visitors annually during the winter season.

Resorts increase natural snowfall with manufactured snow by way of pumping water into snow making lines. Afriski’s new state-of-the-art system will work with a newly built high-altitude dam that uses gravity to feed water into these lines.

The resort told the Weekender this week that the its manual system would use 900kW of energy and had a “lag time of 30 minutes for the lines to be filled with water before snow” production started.

On the other hand, the new automated system will save 500kW of energy per-hour during peak demand of snowmaking.

Graham Joyce, Afriski’s technical director, said snow production is intensive in terms of energy and water usage.

He said resorts are improving efficiency through the use of renewable energy and better weather prediction

“In previous years, we were only able to utilise 40 percent of the available snowmaking hours due to the delay in start-up and temperature during a night of snowmaking,” Joyce said.

“With the new automated snowmaking and gravity pumping system, we hope to increase snowmaking hours by 50 percent and double the volume of snow that we can produce each winter.”

He added that snowmaking was beneficial to their host community by way of “creating employment in the snowmaking division and supporting business that supply the hospitality trade”.

The post Afriski introduces power efficient snowmaker appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

MUSICIAN Preezy PM is geared to release his debut album dubbed Sello Saka on 21 June 2020.

The album will be availed in stores across Lesotho and on digital platforms.

The musician told the Weekender on Monday that the 10-track album was soley produced, mixed and mastered by him.

He said fans should expect legendary famo artiste ‘m’e Puseletso Seema to feature on four songs and additional instrumentation from pianist Tee and guitarist, Mapeng Mofosi.

He said the on the album Sello Saka (my cry), he touches on an array of topic and has fused traditional famo with pop elements to come up with what he calls “Sotho-pop”.

Preezy had hoped to release the album last year but fell ill.

“The album was supposed to drop last year but I fell extremely sick, so I had to give myself some time to recover,” Preezy said.

When he fell ill, doctors failed to diagnose what the problem was and this depressed him so much that he could not work until he recovered in January this year.

Born Peter Moruthoane in Teyateyaneng, Preezy started his musical journey in 2015 as a rapper and R&B singer.

The 25-year-old currently resides in Ha-Thetsane, Matamong where he built his personal studio. He says he coined his Sotho-Pop sound earlier this year after realising how comfortable he felt with fusions of the sound.

“Just like any other young artiste, I struggled to find yourself and figure out what my contribution to the music industry would be.

“I used to imitate Chris Brown a lot because growing up people said I resembled him and that translated into my music,” he said.

He eventually realised that he loved setso (African music) and this prompted him to “make a sound that had a famo and pop feel to it”.

“This is who I really am musically.”

The lead single of the album, Lerato Laka, has so far fared well on social media where it has amassed thousands of hits.

He also has a traditional love track which features Mapeng Mafosi on the guitar and was released on 9 April this year.

Preezy is currently working on the official video for Lerato Laka. He also intends to release another single and its video before releasing the album next month.

The post Preezy PM to release debut album appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

ONLINE radio station Sky Alpha HD commemorated its first anniversary by donating food parcels to two orphanages and an old-age home in Maseru on Africa Day.

Sky Alpha partnered with Lesotho Flour Mills and Upper Qeme Fruit and Veg Market to provide Sekamaneng-based God’s Love Centre, St Angela Cheshire Home for Disabled Children (Ha-Pita) and Mazenod’s Reitumetse Church Project with hampers.

The hampers contained potatoes, onions, carrots, maize meal, easy bake meal, pumpkins, cabbages and sugar.

Sky Alpha station manager Kabelo Mollo said that weeks prior to the event, the station’s founder and executive director Tello Leballo suggested that they help the less privileged as a way of celebrating their “momentous milestone”.

Speaking at the handover, Leballo said their efforts alone were not enough hence they were inviting others to also donate to the under-privileged.

“We can’t even brag about this, so instead we are sending a message that there are many less fortunate people who need assistance,” Leballo said.

He implored the new government to come up with programmes that assist the less fortunate.

Sky Alpha is Lesotho’s first English online radio station which broadcasts across the globe. Since its inception last year, the station has amassed over 165 000 listeners in 165 countries.

For his part, Lesotho Flour Mills’ marketing officer Bofihla ’Neko said their sole objective was to assist Basotho.

’Neko said their doors were open to institutions and individuals running initiatives similar to Sky Alpha’s to help the vulnerable.

“We hope that this gesture will go a long way in fighting hunger.

“More importantly, we ask that God raises his hand to spare us of the effects of Covid-19 which has affected so many countries that are better placed economically compared to Lesotho,” ’Neko said.

On behalf of St Angela, Sister Crescentia Clementine thanked the station and its partners for their generosity.

“We welcome all to come visit to see how we live and perhaps show us some grace like Sky Alpha has,” Sister Crescentia said.

‘Maitumeleng Ranneha, a caregiver from Reitumetse Church Project, also expressed gratitude for the assistance.

The post Sky Alpha lends hand to the vulnerable appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

VETERAN Hip Hop artiste Dunamis will tomorrow release what could be his “final album” titled UNDEFEATED.

Dunamis told the Weekender on Monday that he was considering retiring from music since he has achieved what he had set out to do in the music industry.

“This might be the last album,” Dunamis said.

“I feel I have reached the peak and achieved all I desired in music, and want to either help groom others to do the same or venture into other business.”

Born Retšelisitsoe Molefe in Ha-Mabote, Maseru, Dunamis got his alias from his friend, GLXRY, who believed it would attest to the impact his pal was to have on the African music industry.

With a stage name derived from the Greek word meaning dynamite, Dunamis said coming from a small country being able to “penetrate dense platforms like the South African music industry” is what makes him explosive.

Dunamis has won several awards among them the South African Music Awards (SAMA) in the best South Sotho category for his song Fabia Jo featuring Jane le Sam in 2009. He is also the first Mosotho hip hop artiste to have his music videos aired on international television stations including Channel O, Trace, SABC, ETV among others.

Bursting onto the scene over a decade ago and releasing his critically acclaimed debut album Mastered Seed in 2007, Dunamis went on to release The Glory and Da Street and G.O.D (God of Dunamis) respectively in 2011 and 2016.

He attributes his release pattern to the fact that he does not believe in saturating his audience will a lot of music.

In between albums Duna, as he is affectionately known, says he markets his releases through road tours locally and across the border.

“I always take a four-year interval when releasing albums so that my fans can absorb the project and fully understand my thought pattern,” Dunamis said.

UNDEFEATED, whose release falls on Dunamis’ birthday, is the culmination of his life’s work in the music industry. On it he will touch on matters of the heart and the people he has lost.

Recognising the pivotal role, he has played in the industry and the experience he has since acquired; Dunamis said the approach he took on this album was different from his past releases.

“I feel that I have been able to take on all the challenges that Lesotho artistes face and have used them as stepping stone for progress, hence the name UNDEFEATED.

“I try to be versatile and, on this album, I touched on topics such as love, being the most profound yet none tangible component of humanity.

“I also touched on losing loved ones such as Lebo, a very gifted, young and intelligent artiste who was under my wing and was still to reach great heights, who passed on in 2016,” he said.

The album will be released under K.O.L Music Productions, which Dunamis founded in 2007, and will feature the likes of Cape Town musician, Sylvia. Lesotho’s Flashy, Hfo, AxoMind, Devoe and AxoMind, who also produced the album, are also set to appear.

Local beat producers Skream Beatz, Taks Beats and Sy Soprano provided additional production.

With all he has achieved in the music industry, Dunamis promises to make a closing statement on UNDEFEATED by way of healing listeners and encouraging them to pursue what they love.

“My music is always therapeutic in nature and the greatest achievement is healing the next person who may be going through a lot,” Dunamis said.

The post Dunamis releases retirement album appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

MEDIA personality Ms Kiva is working to establish herself as both an entertainer and business woman with a footprint recognisable on the African continent.

In a recent interview with the Weekender, Ms Kiva said she hopes to use her various online platforms including YouTube, through which she has amassed thousands of followers, to showcase herself and also other Basotho creatives.

“It’s clear that what I do is not viewed as a viable career, however, I intend to produce more content on my YouTube channel not just showcasing myself but the talent that Lesotho has to offer,” Ms Kiva said.

Ms Kiva launched her channel last September and like many other content creators, she has used it to engage her followers on an array of issues including beauty tips, relationships and more.

“My aim is to create opportunities for myself and likeminded people that my country has failed to provide for,” Ms Kiva said.

Born Kananelo Phakisi in the Stadium Area, Maseru, Ms Kiva attained her associate degree in Public Relations at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in 2014.

She is currently pursuing an online certificate in Digital Marketing and Advertising with the Digital School of Marketing, which she hopes to finish in 2021.

Ms Kiva became cognisant of her capabilities while in high school at St Catherine’s when she got a chance to step onto the stage.

“I was a bit of a loner back then but whenever I was asked to plan the annual opening social event, I came alive,” Ms Kiva said.

“I get a rush that I can’t explain from preparing for a show and the energy from a crowd urges me on.”

The Kingdom’s Bae, as Ms Kiva is affectionately known, said she has always wanted to be on television from an early age. She recalls dancing and singing at family gatherings and would also mimic news readers.

Growing up, Ms Kiva idolised the likes of the late South African television personality Vinolia Mashego and media mogul Carol Bouwer.

“My inspiration was sparked during the YoTV (South African variety teen show) era as I saw kids like me bringing life to television and I wanted so badly to be like that,” Ms Kiva said.

The 27-year-old’s career has seen her grace stages which include Vodacom Lesotho Summer Feva in 2014 and 2015 where she got the opportunity to interview South African DJ Black Coffee and artiste Khuli Chana.

Ms Kiva has also hosted Summer Fest in 2017, Lesotho Times Music Fest in 2018 and Miss Maseru alongside South Africa’s Somizi Mhlongo the same year.

Although the deal fell through, she considers winning the Lesotho National Broadcasting Service (LNBS) Itabolele presenter search in 2015 as an important milestone in her career.

Her participation in the search prepared her for the TLC presenter search where she represented Lesotho on a continental level the following year.

Aside from being a well-known events MC, radio jock, voiceover artiste, brand ambassador, content creator and musician affiliated with the now debunked Magic in Progress (MIP) stable, Ms Kiva works for a financial institution in the country as a digital marketing specialist.

In 2014, Ms Kiva founded Girls Like Us (GLU), an online platform which aims to provide a safe haven for women and young girls dealing with a range of issues. She said she hopes her organisation’s work will outlive her.

“I started GLU after getting out a very destructive relationship to provide a safe platform for likeminded females to share their stories.

“Over the years, GLU has done high school tours and most recently, we started selling branded merchandise under #TheRealFund which aids victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse with free sessions with a private counsellor,” Ms Kiva said.

The post Ms Kiva speaks establishment in Africa appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

FREELANCE photographer Nkopane Mojakisane’s career has gained traction in the corporate and urban space.

Although the Morija native’s career took off in 2016, being headhunted and working as an intern from 2015 for a year and half at a local company is the major highlight of his career for the exposure it afforded him.

He worked at the company while pursuing a four-year Digital Film and Television degree at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology eventually obtaining an Honours in 2018.

In a recent interview with the Weekender, Mojakisane said although he is now passionate about producing visual content, he initially despised it.

“I used to hate photography and taking pictures,” Mojakisane said.

To his surprise, Mojakisane realised he was good at photography while working on an assignment.

“I then took to YouTube during my spare time to learn basic things such as the principles of shooting, camera exposure, shutter speed, composing a frame and so on,” Mojakisane said.

Despite not having a camera of his own at the time, he would use his phone to practise what he had learnt from reading blogs and watching YouTube tutorials.

According to Mojakisane, he still treats himself as a beginner as he continues to use platforms such as Instagram to not only post his own work but to learn from other photographers.

In his formative years, the 25-year-old would not only shoot corporate pictures and videos but ventured into covering weddings and was also commissioned for family portraits and maternity shoots.

Mojakisane has since become a staple in the Lesotho entertainment industry from having shot images at the final Vodacom Summa Feva concert in 2016, to working alongside comedian Skaftin on his Gags and Music platform from 2018 and shooting Unkle Krack’s music videos since last year.

He shot the visuals for Unkle Krack’s smash hit Ak’u Ikhantše featuring Mega Hertz, which began to air earlier this year on one of the continent’s leading music channels, MTV Base.

“I cherish seeing the of photography growing into a tree and blossoming as people have started demanding my attention on social media.

“What sets me apart from other photographers is my work ethic and efficiency as I try all means to deliver my clients’ work within 24 hours,” he said.

From Mojakisane’s perspective, he has seen growth in his field over the years as more people have begun venturing into the trade while consumers have also responded positively.

Despite the fact that pricing has not been standardised in his field, which has proven to be a disadvantage as the industry becomes saturated, he still encourages more people to pursue it.

“It’s a great career because you get to work on your own terms, you are free to manage your time and it can turn into a lucrative business if you are really serious about it,” Mojakisane said.

“My advice to upcoming photographers would be that they should read more on photography, shoot daily, watch tutorials, edit content and they shouldn’t be afraid to put their work out into the world,” he said.

Currently, Mojakisane shoots promotional videos and photos for Lesotho’s first online platform for artistes dubbed The Love Letter alongside Bokang Khoarai, Lebohang Thepa, Nkoanyane Pitso and the Jam Session crew.

He aspires to continue exposing Lesotho’s potential to the world through photography.

The post Nkopane Mojakisane speaks on his photography journey appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

RECORDING artiste Piigh has added his voice onto the Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaign which has been trending the world over denouncing the “senseless” killing of black American George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 25 May 2020.

Piigh highlights the Black Live Matter movement on his latest single Stadium Pt. 2 released on Sunday.

The track falls under the Trap-soul music category and was produced by Taks Beats and Yung38.

Piigh joins a long list of musicians who have thrived on social commentary giving a voice to the voiceless sharing his opinion on social injustices.

Seconds into the song, Piigh is heard denouncing the “All Lives Matter” statement which is being propped up to extinguish the Black Lives Mater movement.

The song’s release falls on the backdrop of Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, by the apparent brute force of police officer Derek Chauvin’s knee on his neck. Despite his cries that he could not breath, Floyd was killed in full view of officers Tou Thao, Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane. Mr Floyd’s death has sparked protests across the globe under the “Black Lives Matter” banner.

A call for justice has also bled into South Africa over the 10 April 2020 killing of Collins Khosa at the hands of South African Defence Force officers at his Alexandra home.

Meanwhile, in Lesotho, Jacob Khoabane, who was fatally shot by his employer for allegedly stealing a packet of sugar has brought similar sentiments closer to home.

Piigh told the Weekender on Monday that although he drew inspiration from what has been going on across the globe, his song.

“It is my belief that we must learn to be strong in and love our blackness,” Piigh said.

“I was also able to relate the song to what has been going on here at home…

“I think it is also important to note that we too as black people mistreat one another greatly in different ways.”

Born Liteboho Pii in Berea, Piigh is a rapper, singer and producer known to convey his lyrical prowess in the form of melodic rhymes.

He obtained his Associate degree in Graphics Designs from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in 2014.

Piigh’s introduction to the music scene came in the form of his Bounce Back single in 2018 which appears on his debut extended play released the following year, Red Hill Vol. 1.

A week prior to releasing Stadium Pt. 2 Piigh dropped another single, Don’t Save Her.

He is also planning to release a series of short compilations throughout the year and says the two singles will be featured on the first compilation dubbed Never Coming Back.

“Never Coming Back means things are about to change in the biggest and most drastic way,” Piigh said.

The post Piigh adds voice to “Black Lives Matter” appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

BUDDING rapper Lu Srenk on Sunday premiered the video for his track Wake Up Call featuring Kong on YouTube.

The track was produced by Taks Beats and Lil Kush808.

The video was shot at Urang Utang Guest House in Naleli by MSU CLOUT, who helped liven up the song.

Glow Up Vanity did the make-up for Lu Srenk and Kong, along with vixens Icy Flame, Mercy and Droppy who make cameo appearances on the video.

On the song’s chorus, Lu Srenk is heard singing: “I can do a lot but I won’t sleep on myself”.

“Walk inside the store and find my tape by the shelf. I don’t like to talk the work speaks for itself.

The artistes told the Weekender on Tuesday that the track is meant to alert his listeners that he never takes his dreams for granted.

“Also, we should all appreciate the little things that we have and embrace them in order to achieve bigger things,” Lu Srenk said.

Wake Up Call appears on the rapper’s second studio project dubbed The Rose Mixtape which was released last October through physical copies. Lu Srenk said the mixtape would be soon be available on all digital platforms.

The 20-year-old followed up The Rose Mixtape with two additional singles namely Problems Freestyle and Hate to Say Freestyle which dropped earlier this year along with their music videos.

Born Khethisi Victor Motsiba in Naleli Maseru, Lu Srenk started making music in 2014 as Grade 9 learner at Mt Tabor High School in Mafeteng.

“I was inspired by the hip hop industry across the globe but it became more relatable knowing that there is a growing industry here at home.

“I have always been a music lover and follower since I was old enough to memorise songs and I would often lip-sync along to my favourite tunes,” Lu Srenk said.

Like most music fans, at one point, Lu Srenk had a song book with the lyrics for his favourite songs until he started composing his own.

The year 2018 proved to be the young artistes’ breakout year which saw the release of his debut extended play (EP) Rainy Days after spending time perfecting his craft and “learning how the game operates”.

The EP helped him make a name for himself as it received positive remarks from listeners. He took advantage of the attention it was getting to deliver his first music video for one of the EP’s lead songs dubbed My Way.

In the last year, Lu Srenk has performed at several local shows including Keys to the City, where he shared the stage with the likes of South Africa’s DJ Double, Ntando and Manu Worldstar.

He has also performed at Cuban Linx’s The Rap Konnect, Club Yugo’s Defend the Trap, Art Meets Fashion, which was hosted at the Music Mansion in Maseru West and twice at the ‘Manthabiseng Convention Centre which hosted two separate events, Coco Cabana and The Come Up.

“As an artiste, nothing beats the power of performing for your people. The feeling is never the same and if I could, I would honestly make it last forever,” Lu Srenk said.

He is now working on an album titled Bear in a Dog House where he will be exploring what happens in the “jungle”, a term often used to describe the music industry.

“My number one priority is getting recognition worldwide, which I believe will help broaden my thinking ability and mobility and will get my brand moving at a faster rate.

“With the amount of work that I have been putting in, all my efforts and the sacrifices I have made, I am hopeful for a bright future,” Lu Srenk said.

The post Lu Srenk releases Wake Up Call video appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

MPHO Molikeng, a Lesotho born curator, actor, musician, carnival artiste and organiser, street performer, praise poet, storyteller, cultural activist and entrepreneur has come a long way in the arts industry.

While locals would be forgiven for not recognising his name, his exploits across the border in South Africa has been notable as he was instrumental in popularising the carnival culture in different cities. In a career that spans over two decades, Molikeng has learnt how to play hordes of musical instruments. Weekender reporter Bataung Moeketsi (LT) recently sat down with the multi-talented artiste at his Naleli home. Below are excerpts from that interview.

LT: For those who may not know, who is Mpho Molikeng?

Molikeng: Mpho Molikeng is a Mosotho a man from Naleli, Ha-Tšosane. I was born some 45 years ago. I first went to St Bernadette but finished off my primary schooling at Ha-Hoohlo Primary in 1989. I then went to St Josephs and completed my junior certificate in 1993. Afterwards, I went to Bloemfontein to further my studies at what is now Motheo FET (previously Bloemfontein Technical College). I acquired my senior certificate in Visual Arts after two years. I came back home in 1995…that was a very dark period. My family was going through a lot. I then decided to move to Johannesburg in 1998 to pursue performance arts. I enrolled at Soyikwa Institute of African Theatre and obtained a diploma in Dramatic Arts.

At the end of 1999 I became a full-time artiste but then I was in a foreign land. Things were very hard as a freelancer. It was a very tough stage in my life. I was unemployed for about two years and I couldn’t even come back home. It was that hard. There were times when I’d feel like maybe art wasn’t the best decision… During this difficult period, I would visit friends and play drums with them. Every time I would play a drum I felt like I had shed a load off of my shoulders. This went on for about six months around 2000. One Sunday we were having one of our jam sessions in Soweto.

We rotated these sessions and this time we were hosted by a gentleman named Mandla Mentoor… A lady named Jo-Ann Radus had attended the session and brought along her djembe. One of the guys immediately started jamming. Of all the people that were there Jo-Ann picked four of us, Mpumi Sidiyo, Ntsane Mopeli, Moses Kutoane and myself and invited us to Rosebank. Only one of the guys knew where Rosebank was. The following day we went to a company called Drum Café… When we got there, we found over 2 000 drums in one place. Drum Café used to do team building exercises for corporations and social gatherings.

We rehearsed on the day and they gave us transport money to go back home. The next day, we got a gig at an Afrikaans school located in one of the nearby suburbs for a fund-raising event… We each got R100 and we were having the time of our lives. That was my first gig and it was super fun.

We were employed at Drum Café… We did a lot of team building exercises from the middle of 2000 to sometime in 2003. When we started gigging we would get R100 each per gig and by 2002 it had gone up to R200. Sometimes we would have three gigs a day meaning we would have made three times the pay. It was good money but I still had this void in me. I was playing a West African instrument but I had known how to play any Basotho instruments.

LT: What sort of challenges did you encounter growing up?

Molikeng: I don’t really want to dwell on the hardships. Every family has its own. What I can say is I grew up with my mother, ‘Mampho Molikeng and two little sisters, Nthabeleng who is now based in Joburg and Rethabile who is in Durban. My mother is basically the reason I am back in Lesotho now because of her old age-related ill-health. Before you arrived; I was even doing some chores around the house.

When I was seven years old, my mother’s uncle, Motsoenkana Maroe, would visit whenever he was not in the mines in South Africa. I was playing with my friends around the yard one day and he had this stick with him. He stood by the gate and started playing this stick. I stopped playing with my friends and came to listen. I listened for hours on end. Later at the dinner table, I then quizzed him until my mother told me to leave Ntate moholo alone to enjoy his meal. But still, I was fascinated by this stick. That’s when I started hearing it more on Radio Lesotho on the news bridge (jingle) where a lesiba is played.

I think less than 100 people can play that instrument today in Lesotho and that’s sad. I wanted to learn that instrument. I started feeling an urge to learn it around the age of 25 and decided to return home and ask Ntate Moholo, who was still alive at the time, to teach me how to play it. I thought I could quickly grasp the fundamentals from his teachings and return to Johannesburg to learn some more as I had all the time in the world to learn a new instrument. When I arrived… I asked him to make me the instrument and teach me how to play in front of people.

They were all hysterical and said I should have learned how to play the lesiba at the age of 13 and that I was too old. Everyone laughed. Ntate moholo had lost his front teeth and could no longer play the lesiba which he had in his hut gathering dust… He made a new one for me and showed me how it was played but could barely make a sound. However, I was determined. That was towards the end of 2002 around the time I was expecting my son.

I remember at 26 walking the streets of Johannesburg with a lesiba in my hand hoping to meet someone who would teach me how to play it. I later met a young boy named Makhetha Matlaba, who was originally from Mafeteng and was barely 17-years-old then. That was in 2003 and he became my teacher. Every Sunday I would go to him. I even moved from Berea to Soweto to be closer to him… It took me a good two months to make a comfortable sound. It frustrated me that I could easily play other instruments but struggled with the lesiba… From then until 2010 I did a bit of travelling from Johannesburg where I was based across the nine provinces. I also travelled to Swaziland (eSwatini), Kenya, Malawi, Sweden and Finland. I was playing drums and these indigenous instruments at the time.

I had fallen out with Jo-Ann in 2003. I think I got bored playing the same thing repeatedly for two years… The fallout cost me some gigs because lots of people had learned drums so they could work for Drum Café. They had a lot of artistes at their disposal and had begun to rip us off. Two years before that I had attended the Windybrow Arts Festival in Hillbrow… I had written a play titled The Cone and it won the Best Written Production award at the festival. I was still playing drums, writing, acting and painting because I wasn’t making enough money. I did a lot of signage for shops. When I fell out with Jo-Ann, I wrote another play titled This Operation and went to the same festival. This time I won the Best Production award. Both plays were one handers and I also directed them.

I then ventured into street carnivals while I was also using my spare time to learn new instruments. We revived the carnival culture in Johannesburg.

LT: Who is we?

MM: A carnival requires anything from 20 to even a 1 000 people. I became a part of the organising team which was at an informal school, the Creative Inner-City Initiative, right in the middle of the city. There were different activities every three months. In our case, we developed carnivals and street theatre. The Gauteng provincial government picked it up in 2005 because they believed it was a great initiative and wanted to be party to it. That’s when these carnivals spread across the country. Almost every province started having carnivals.

I had gotten married in 2003, a year after the birth of my son but then when I was doing carnival my marriage suffered. Although we had some good times, the marriage suffered because of my career… In those days, we were certain to find work during heritage month, Africa month and special occasions that had to do with Africa or South Africa. An event had to be centred on a particular ethnicity, Africa as a whole or South Africa as a country. That’s how we got work, meaning more than half the time we were not working and obviously there will be trouble in the family in terms of finances… I wanted to learn instruments but my wife did not understand my vision… My love for music cost me my family. I laugh now, but it was a painful period.

In 2011 I organised a theatre festival called Moa Solos of one-hander productions at the Johannesburg Theatre. It took place concurrently with my first solo photographic exhibition held at the Workers Museum in Newtown which I had called Rambling 22 themed after the miners’ strikes of 1922. I curated everything and had gone to the archives of existing photographic materials from 1922 to bring forth that dark-age which was very hurtful to South Africa…

I spent a year reeling from my family woes and I believe I went through a form of depression. I needed a way out from it all and so I decided to tour Europe in 2012, which birthed the Mpho Molikeng Europa Solo Tour. I spent two months in France in Paris, Clement-Ferrand and Oriak. I then did Vienna, Austria and Hamburg, Germany. I would perform alone. I did two shows in Paris, a few in Clement-Ferrand and attended a street festival in the small farmer’s town of Oriak. I performed with friends in Vienna. When I say friends, I am referring to people I met on the day and immediately hit it off with them. The few days I spent there were an amazing experience.

LT: How did you fund the European tour given your crippling financial situation?

MM: The tour was self-financed. As artistes we are lucky. You can spend six months to a year without working but then you’ll find a gig that will help to afford you a decent living for six months or more depending on how you spend your money. I got some sponsors for it, but the exhibition didn’t make any money. I had also done the theatre festival from out of my pocket. I’d gotten a girlfriend from France who had helped me a lot with putting my tour together. She had come to my Rambling 22 exhibition and that’s how we met.

We hit it off and two months later she came back to visit me. In a space of eight months we had begun to make big plans. The red tape of France and South Africa being far apart however, got in the way of things and the long-distance relationship took its toll. I was prepared to move to France because it is the most culturally diverse country in the world for me. I say that because I saw how much culture was appreciated over there. For instance; France recently celebrated Music Day meaning music from all over the world would be played on the streets. The activities are government funded. Which other country does that?

The tour was a great experience which led to what I could say was Mpho Molikeng’s revelation. One of my favourite things I often did on this tour was visit the Museum of Music (Musée de la Musique) in Paris. In this museum there are musical instruments from all over the world dating as far back as the 1200s. I was completely blown away. It reminded me of my own museum back in my Berea bachelor pad and I thought of how I had collected so many instruments already. I just didn’t have a venue or space to display them in this fashion. I came back to South Africa later in 2012 and set out to host an exhibition of Southern African musical. The exhibition was called TATTOO. The original meaning of the word means heartbeat. I named the exhibition TATTOO because music is the heartbeat of a society or a particular gathering.

The first instalment of the TATTOO exhibition was in January 2014. And since my birthday is on 17 January, it was a birthday present for me. It went on for six months and was self-funded. Ninety percent of the instruments displayed were from my personal collection. I didn’t have big drums and had to source them from the South African government who lent me a few instruments. I filled three of the four Johannesburg Library floors. There’s a difference between “TATTOO” and any other music exhibition I have seen in South Africa and the one in France.

In France they have audio devices at the museum and if you want to listen to a particular instrument you can punch a number on it and the sound will play from your headphones. I had to demonstrate all the instruments at my exhibitions. I could play almost the instruments that were on display of all the instruments and more than 200 exhibition items including vinyl, cassettes, CDs, DVDs and books. There were about six instruments I couldn’t play but I knew the basics. It was frustrating for me but people weren’t bothered considering the fact that I could play the others.

The exhibition itself almost failed after I was robbed on the streets of Joburg a month earlier while hosting a friend from Finland. They took my hard-drive, three phones including a mobile landline and all the material I had on the exhibition… I was very emotional at the time. I had worked very hard and the exhibition finally opened on the 16^th. I was there almost every day taking people through it. People would generously give me money when they found out that it was self-funded.

That was the turning point of my career. As much as I had put money into the exhibition, I was able to get more out of it. To date I am still enjoying the dividends of that exhibition because my stock value shot up immediately after. I didn’t even have any money. I was going through the most for a short while. But some of the people I gave tours were musicologists and academics, people who found value in what I was doing. Wits University approached me to give a workshop for a day.

The post Mpho Molikeng’s journey with the lesiba, other musical instruments appeared first on Lesotho Times.

 Mpho Molikeng, a multi-talented Mosotho musician has worked says over his 20-year music career, he has learnt how to play over 150 African musical instruments. Apart from that, he can also make some of them from scratch. His passion to learn stems from the frustrations he encountered in playing the lesiba. Throughout his career, Molikeng has travelled the world and achieved greatness particularly in the musical field. Below are excerpts of an interview conducted by Lesotho Times’ (LT) reporter Bataung Moeketsi.

LT: You have worked with Wits University, when did they approach you?

Molikeng: They approached me in 2014. Other universities also started enquiring. People showed a lot interest. Masters and PhD students of musicology and ethnomusicology started enquiring and featuring my work in their theses… When Wits called me, it reminded me of 2002 when I wanted to enrol at a particular institution and wanted to pursue a BA in Music specialising in African instruments. I didn’t want to learn about Western instruments. They refused to give me a place unless I would learn the piano or one western instrument… so I left to learn on my own. Wits’ call in 2014 was my full circle moment.

I took the “TATTOO” exhibition to Museum Africa for the Africa month in May 2014. Their exhibitions usually last a month but mine had been on display for three. They didn’t pay me but I understood that even if I removed my instruments, they would end up gathering dust at home. During that time, a lot of people were enquiring about the exhibition and the man behind it. Many schools would bring their students and scholars to view the exhibition. It was a fulfilling moment but I was still broke.

That changed immediately after the end of the exhibition. I was approached in September, which is heritage month. I helped put together exhibitions and sustain myself. I was hired by an organisation of storytellers called Kwesukela Storytelling Academy. Just as when in Sesotho we start folk tales with “ba re e ne re”, in Zulu they say kwasukasukela (loosely translated as: it was a long time ago). I did tours with them around South Africa… I created various streams of income around the very same time. I would narrate plays and folk tales. I would come home once a year, gather books on folk tales, translate them into English and start telling them for money.

LT: You are a multi-talented artiste, what exactly can you do in the arts sphere?

Molikeng: I involved myself in a lot of activities. I trained as both a visual and performance artiste. I taught myself administration as well. With other things people would throw me into the deep end knowing that I love new challenges. As a multi-talented artiste, I try covering a lot of ground in my field. If there’s an artwork involved, I will paint it. Like any other discipline, it requires practise which means if someone commissions me to paint something for them, I will ask for time to retrain my eyes and hands. I paint. I did a lot public paintings in Johannesburg. I organised street theatres and carnival. I’m a curator. I’m also a published author.

LT: You have written some articles, where were they published?

Molikeng: My first published article was for an online music portal called Music in Africa. They were looking for seasoned writers, people who can write about Basotho music. I told them I was not writer… but a musician myself and indigenous music had been my life for the past 20 years. I told them, I could speak from a place of honesty and they said they needed my services… I bet no one could write what I could on the subject. This was in 2016. They needed someone to write a maximum of four articles and for what they were offering I said I would write six. I did exactly that and gave them two stories for free. So far, four have been published. The remaining articles will be published at a later date.

Someone from SAGE Publishing saw my articles. They were in the process of writing an academic reference work in the form of an encyclopaedia on history, culture and the geography of music. They read two of my articles and figured that I was the man for the job. I was commissioned to work on a section and now I am included in this encyclopaedia of the world. The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture was published last year and is currently going for US$1 700 (about M28 860). Over 100 contributors worked on it. Less than 15 of us are independent scholars while the rest have doctorates.

I am now writing about the lesiba, although I cannot divulge any information therein. Hopefully by the end of 2021 I will be talking about the book.

LT: You have said you play an assortment of instruments; how many can you play.

MM: I cannot give you a specific number but I play a lot of Southern African indigenous instruments. I picked this up over a period of 20 years. Because of my love for those instruments, I can also construct a few. Although it’s an unconfirmed figure, I would say I can play over 150 instruments.

LT: Take us through the creative process. If one was to participate in one of your concerts, what can they expect?

Molikeng: I construct instruments for my personal therapy. I also make instruments for clients while some of them end up on my collection. In terms of concerts, many a times you will find that there are people who hire me to play and that’s all I do. But in seminars, that’s when I start making the instrument afresh. As I give an in-depth analysis of the instrument that may require construction as well. I get invited to numerous schools in Johannesburg where I teach students to make these instruments. I also get private clients who require my services.

LT: How big is your discography?

Molikeng: I am more of a live performer but I have been fortunate enough to be called by people in the film industry to score music. I have done scores for the Discovery Channel dating back to 2007. I have played on television adverts. There is a programme on e.tv called Mahadi Lobola and I contributed to its theme song. I don’t even watch TV but every time I sit in front of one and the show is screened, I remember my contribution. There’s a music library company called Lalela Music with branches in Cape Town and New York which contacts me each time it is looking for a particular type of music. Part of my discography is there. I get such commissions. When they are looking for music for an advert, they’ll ring me.

When Reverbnation (a free online music distribution portal) was introduced, I would upload my works onto it and people would reach out for collaborations. I am always exploring new ways of collaborating and bettering my services. I find myself being involved in such. For example, recently we were launching a show called Cut which we did online with Vincent Mantsoe, a revered choreographer in South Africa. I composed the show’s music…

LT: What are some of your most memorable achievements?

Molikeng: After my TATTOO exhibition in 2014, the academic world started opening up to me. Lesotho is a unique country and an untapped goldmine that we must teach the world about. I find myself in many circles of people who would love to know a little bit more about Lesotho and the music. The first seminar that I was invited to was in 2016 at the Southern African Society of Researchers in Music, an academic conference which was held at the Potchefstroom University. I went there to talk about the lesiba in particular. I took it back to before the times when Jan van Riebeek had come to South Africa and the origins of the instrument. I am well-versed in the instrument’s history which is why I am confident that I can now write a book about it. I had my third exhibition at the university and had an audio installation of the instrument playing.

I have played with several artistes from varying genres. These artistes are free musicians which means that they are avant-gardes and very experimental in terms of what they play. I was approached by the New Music Society of South Africa to play at conferences in Bloemfontein and Johannesburg. They had another one in Pretoria but this was around the time when I was trying to settle back at home, so I passed. All of this happened around 2010 when I was playing with Lukas Ligeti, the son of a revered Austrian composer, who was touring South Africa and I had brought him to Lesotho. We’ve had great relations over the years. He has thrown a few jobs in my direction. I believe that I have been a visiting lecturer at Wits since 2016 through his influences because he is one of the people who believed in me and was amazed at how I could pick up an instrument and learn with ease.

Had it not been for the global spread of the coronavirus pandemic, I would have travelled to Japan, the United States of America and Switzerland this year for various collaborations. One of the more memorable collaborations that took place earlier this year is a recording I had done of a Basotho instrument called thomo and I challenged music players around the world on Facebook. The challenge was called #LockdownMeltdowns or #LockdownChronicles and commenced a week after the Lesotho lockdown announced. At least 10 people responded and a friend named Ravish Momin based in New York who is working on his album saw what I had done and asked me to play thomo over a recording he sent me. I sent it and he loved it but I had not sung over it, so he sent it back for me to record over once again. I used two recording devices including my phone and a zoom field recorder. He put the song together and sent it back to me but I wasn’t too sure whether I liked how it sounded. He told me not worry and sent it to a producer in Japan and it is now very big in the club scene over there.

There is also a collective of four musicians including myself, Mabeleng Moholo (based in Soweto), Vuli Nchabeleng (based in Pretoria) and a university professor named Gregory Bayer’s (based in Chicago Illinois). Even with the lockdown restrictions, we have continued to play in our respective spaces and we have recorded four tracks which Gregory will put together. It may even become an album. He is also scoring indigenous instruments, which is something that isn’t well known.

I have also been appointed to the committee of the Southern African Rights Organisation, a body which distributes royalties to musicians. I am one of the people they appointed when they were trying to score indigenous music for academic purposes and preservation two years ago. It’s an on-going process. I believe it’s an amazing initiative and although late, I am certain the road ahead will be something to see.

LT: You have such an illustrious career, what does art mean to you?

Molikeng: When I first started playing drums it helped to relieve some of the burdens the world had thrown at me. I felt a void within me which came from playing instruments from other parts of the world but not my own. To me art means life, and vice versa. Art saved me from myself and the world. I am not sure I would still be alive it wasn’t for art. I say this in all honesty because there were times when I was going through so much and was feeling as though the load was too heavy to carry. Art soothed me… Any form of art must disrupt the injustices of the world. You don’t have to like all art but not liking it still conveys that it has an impact of some sort on you. I’m not talking about commercial art. I am talking about art in general and art in its rawest form. There are people who make art to heal themselves and others through their works. There are some many art forms we can engage in.

It’s a pity that my country, Lesotho, has not realised the importance of the arts for its children and the nation as a whole. You will find that Basotho who are making money from the arts must adapt to other genres and forms of art so that they can be accepted elsewhere and make a living… As Basotho, we are supposed to understand that no one can take our Bosotho away. This led to the movie Black Panther. I didn’t even watch it when it came out but I eventually saw it with some kids here at home. I am not big on movies. Everyone was raving about Basotho blankets. That’s an identity of its own. If we can work our magic in terms of the things that make us Basotho, the world is our oyster and the possibilities are endless.

LT: What is your advice to fellow Basotho artistes in their various genres?

MM: In terms of advice to artistes and anyone who believes that they have something to share with the world, I would say never follow societal norms. Don’t follow the crowd. Listen to the inner voice that’s always telling you this is what you are born to do and this is what you have to do to serve the world. Some may hear the voice today and make it big tomorrow. Others will hear the voice today and it will only work in their favour in 20 or 30 years’ time. But listen to that voice for it will keep you alive and give you purpose… That voice is you and if you don’t listen to it, you too will go astray like the people who are living lives they don’t want to live simply because of systematic pressures like having to pay rent, eat and so on. Some people find themselves in industries they never intended to be in or are forced in by their parents. That’s why many people die very young… Sometimes you may have to find work elsewhere just so you can reinvest in that voice and that’s okay. Follow that voice. It may take time but it will be worth it.

LT: Are you happy with your accomplishments?

MM: I have many dreams revolving around my work but thus far I am happy with where I am even though I want a lot of things. Yes, I also want a palace with a helipad and all the nice things but one of my biggest dreams has to do with development. I would love to see each Mosotho child playing at least one Sesotho instrument and to know who they are because with the way things are going, in the next two generations there won’t be any true Basotho and the world won’t be the same. Everything will be in libraries and referenced unless we start now to preserve Sesotho and our culture so that we won’t be too far removed in the generations to come. European cultures still have opera shows and sure, they have changed over the years but they still have them. Believe you me opera shows require about 100 musicians for something that may only really need 10 but that’s how they preserve the culture. In the very same way, my plea is for Basotho to preserve our culture or we will be lost. If you don’t know who you truly are, anyone can come and tell you anything about yourself. However, if you know yourself, no one can derail you from your path because you would know who you are and what you want to achieve. If we can preserve ourselves for our children and they do the same for theirs and the generations to come, we can create a future where the baton can be passed on well-deserving generation.

The post I can play more than 150 musical instruments-Molikeng appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

LESOTHO Fashion Week (LSFW) will from 24 July to 13 November 2020 run Covid-19 Youth Masterclasses in Maseru.

The classes will alternate between Alliance Française de Maseru and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

LSFW founder Mahadi Granier told the Weekender on Tuesday that the sessions would allow for participants and speakers to exchange ideas on the challenges faced by youths.

Basotho youth’s contribution to national efforts in response to the pandemic will be the scope of the nine-week programme. The workshop will empower the participants to be innovators, she said.

Twenty-five youth and will be led by other youths who will in turn offer “innovative solutions tackling the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Among the speakers are National University of Lesotho (NUL) Labour Law and the Law of Business Associations lecturer and founder and chief executive officer of Higher Self Career and Executive Coach, Mothepa Ndumo; Nedback Lesotho client experience manager and Learning Mindset Foundation executive director Lerato Mphaka. Black Hair and The Natural Hair Studio founder, Hape Marite and GEM Institute and Lesotho Fashion Designers Associations founder Mpho Letima will also speak during the training.

The workshop’s programme will be officiated by LSWF’s head of production Thato Fonya and will be moderated by the current Face of Lesotho Fashion Week, Charlene McPherson.

Granier said the workshop would address young innovators’ challenges.

“The Masterclass will address young innovators’ experiences and challenges, enabling an environment for their solutions to upscale social impact across the country, as well as their motivations and resilience capacity,” Granier said.

“Its ultimate goal is to envision a future for Lesotho and Basotho youth in the aftermath of Covid-19.”

The sessions will be a space where both the government and the private sector and institutions of higher learning will have an opportunity to engage young people, she said.

It will also allow the youths to explore existing support structures within the country and gain an understanding of how they may “leverage” them.

“The Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world and a lot of young people are grappling with its effects on their lives.

“The vast majority of Basotho youth are wondering how to overcome the challenges or if there are any economic opportunities that they can take advantage of in spite of the current pandemic,” Granier said.

LSWF is a marketing platform for fashion, footwear, accessories and jewellery which has helped numerous designers start, develop and grow their businesses.

The bi-annual event is customarily held during the first three days of April or May and the first three days of October or November. Spring/summer womenswear collections are showcased during the former event, while the latter showcases autumn/winter womenswear collections.

The post LSFW trains youths on Covid-19 appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

TLALI Mapetla affectionately known as Mr Maps (MM) has built a reputable name for himself in Lesotho’s music industry, particularly among the hip-hop fraternity. With a background in radio, being behind the decks as a song selector, being a rapper among many other roles, Mr Maps has become what hip-hop lovers call an OG (original gangster).

The Weekender reporter Bataung Moeketsi (LT) caught up with Mr Maps at the Emotiv PR offices in Maseru to get his take on Lesotho’s music industry. Below are excerpts from their discussion.

LT: Who is Mr Maps?

Maps: Tlali Mapetla was born in Masianokeng. I went to primary school at Nulis in Roma from 1986 to 1995. From 1996 up until 2001 I was in Kimberly, South Africa at the Christian Brothers College, St Patricks, for high school where I met Matty (Matlaselo Mashakolo). After that, I moved to Johannesburg to learn production management and sound engineering at the South African Broadcasting Corporation while also doing voiceover work at the institution.

I ultimately started my career in radio at the National University of Lesotho’s campus station called DOPE FM in 2005. I was there for about a year and a half before Dallas T recruited me. The government wanted to start a new youth station and got the likes of Dallas T, the late Ms P (Pearl Ocansey) and myself to present shows, structure and run auditions at Ultimate FM. I also coined the stations “Heartbeat of the Kingdom” tagline. Since then, radio has come naturally to me but my focus has mostly had a lot to do with everything involving production. I am a journalist as well but that just came from supposed opportunities and my respect for the profession. Radio and journalism work together and that just happens to be one of the things I am currently doing.

LT: What credentials qualify you to discuss music as we are doing here?

Maps: I’ve always loved music. I started producing music with my best friends Matty aka Maddting and Masupha Molapo aka Uzi who sadly passed in 2015. We started in 1999 as a collective known as Funk Hits the Fan.

I began to gain more notoriety with the radio show I did on Ultimate FM called Backdoor Sessions from 2006. Urban music had not played on radio before then. I used have cyphers and more on radio, and we translated them into road shows. We created an outlet and a distribution channel for local artistes.

This was followed by Blankets and Bling (popularly known among Basotho as Likobo le Mabenyane) which I did as a marketing campaign to introduce the likes of Kommanda Obbs. It really changed how people partied and promoted music. The events we held at Litaleng (a former entertainment spot in Maseru) led to me, along with the people I was working with at the time, bringing international artistes to the country. We were among the first guys to collaborate with international artistes.

I then released my debut LP titled Tax Free in 2009 which had a couple of international features. I have continued to work with a bunch of these guys over the years.

LT: Who are some of these artistes who were involved with the album?

Maps: I had an opportunity to work with Proverb. I also worked with Konfab who’s originally from Maseru, Zeus from Botswana and a producer from Botswana called Favi. I also worked with a guy from Nigeria called Dapo Dina. He’s an insane pianist and we actually had an opportunity to meet in Manhattan about two years ago unexpectedly. I did some work with Mo’Molemi too.

Post Tax Free, Uzi and I had done some work on Khuli Chana’s second album. The tracks ultimately never made it on the album because of a matter I would rather not disclose. When JR was putting together his first album, we were some of the producers who worked with him. Man, I’ve worked with a lot of these cats. HHP was one of the first guys who gave me an opportunity to work in a professional studio session and this was around 2008 or 2009. A lot of these guys weren’t famous yet so I got to hang out with them while I was still in Joburg. HHP of course was still HHP.

I moved back to Lesotho to promote Tax Free towards the end of 2009 and then we started Blankets and Bling. Ultimately off that, we started Emotiv PR after realising that there was a huge gap between art and the market. What Emotiv PR does is help the corporate and the creative side communicate through the creation of value-based products.

LT: Tell us more about Blankets and Bling and Emotiv PR.

Maps: Blankets and Bling is a cultural picnic where we would blend urban or modern culture with our tradition. People would come out sporting traditional attire and so on. We started this event in 2009 until 2017 and we used to throw these picnics out of town in remote areas such as Maputsoe in partnership with Productions KangFong. Those are my long-time collaborators and we continue working together. The event fostered a lot of domestic tourism and a new appreciation for local products. Our efforts eventually created the foundation for cultural shifts including Wear Local Fridays, musicians fusing urban music with Famo and most importantly, a whole new generation viewing Bosotho as a strong sense of pride and entrepreneurship.

Emotive PR was founded in 2013 and I am the creative director. It’s a public relations company which is focused on telling Basotho stories. We collect and produce content for Basotho which is by Basotho. Stemming off that, we have done work for corporates in Lesotho including radio adverts and dramas, formative research and social responsibility campaigns. We are also the production company behind Sky Alpha HD.

At Sky Alpha I also have a radio show alongside Maddting called Top Shelf which plays at 5pm on weekdays and from 6pm it is made available online as a podcast. It’s an extension of Emotiv PR as far as journalism and production management because we write and produce the entire hour-long show. The idea behind it is to really have engaging topics, thorough research and banging beats.

Prior to being at Sky Alpha, I had a brief stint at MXXL radio. While there, we won the Best Radio Show of the Year award at the Africa Meets Fashion Awards in 2016.

LT: Not many people know how extensive your catalogue is and you have only mentioned Tax Free. What else have you done?

Maps: Before Tax Free LP I did a mixtape called Backstage Pass and I had even done a House project. I actually started deejaying in high school from around 1998 and I would play at our school social events. I would come home for the holidays and DJ here too. I used to be a House DJ back then until 2005. At the time, I was really into the Soul Candi guys who broke Deep House into the South African mainstream.

I’ve always loved hip hop and so from 2005 to 2008, I became serious about making beats professionally and getting them on professional albums. I had featured a group called Sake of Skill on Backstage Pass and in return, they featured me on one of their mixtapes that happened to win a Hype Magazine award in 2008 for the Mixtape of Year category. That was around the time I started doing professional releases from 2008 right until now. The last release under my belt was a collaborative project between L-Tore and I as Royale titled Show Me Yours which was released in 2015.

My discography in its entirety consists of my first mixtape Backstage Pass which was released in 2006. At the end of 2009 I dropped my first LP, Tax Free. In 2011 I dropped Best Kept Secret Vol 1 which is a mixtape that featured a bunch of local artistes. We dropped Best Kept Secret Vol 2 the following year and in 2015 we dropped Show Me Yours as Royale. Earlier this year I produced and released and released male choir album for the Masianokeng L.E.C Church together with Khotso Thahane.

I found myself hosting a lot of events as an MC too. I was the first guy to host the big Summer Feva events which had over 20 000 people and were held at Setsoto Stadium in 2011 and 2012. I have done the Kome Beer Festival. I was also a judge for the inaugural Vodacom Superstars competition in 2012.

I’ve done a bunch of work for DSTV and would promote DSTV Compact when it was first introduced in the country. I got an opportunity to tour the country around 2016 because of that gig. That same year I did a lot of formative research for Jphiego’s Rola Katiba campaign and I would interview a bunch of guys in rural Lesotho for an entire year.

On the journalistic front, I am also part of the Edward R. Murrow exchange programme. I ultimately found myself in the United States in 2017 with 14 journalists from 14 African countries and I was southern Africa’s representative in my capacity as Emotiv PR’s creative director. I got the invitation from the US Embassy in Lesotho.

In 2017 I was part of the panel that helped develop a new curriculum for media and journalism syllabus taught at the Institute of Extra Mural Studies.

LT: In 2020 people still say Lesotho’s music industry is still in its infancy, why is that?

Maps: It’s really interesting and yet sad at the same time. We have an abundance of talent but we don’t have any structures. We have a bunch of artistes who are either independent or under their own labels but have zero resources at their disposal. And those that do have the resources lack experience. Great talents often pop up here and there but the music that’s really good doesn’t get the distribution it needs because we don’t have the necessary structures. We don’t have the PR or management companies. A lot of that has to do with artistes wanting to do everything on their own and not understanding the business. You need lawyers on your payroll and you need other professionals for it to bigger than you, for you to actually become a brand.

To cut a long story short, we have a bunch of musicians but we have very poor infrastructure as far as supporting and promoting these artistes.

LT: Who is supposed to come up with those structures?

Maps: It would unfair to expect them to come from the government. It would be difficult because that would take a lot of legislation, parliamentary sittings and so forth. Ultimately, it needs to start with the artistes being organised. For example, many still chase having their songs playing on radio but don’t understand that stations are supposed to play them for spinning their tracks. Artistes also need to collaborate a lot more among themselves and create standards regarding performance fees and things of that nature. That way, they will be less susceptible to companies taking advantage of them which happens so often. It needs to start with the artistes having a united front, a common vision and understanding their worth and what it is they are trying to do.

LT: We have a handful of legendary musicians who have broken into the mainstream and have had some success, what’s their role in building the industry? Shouldn’t there also be policymakers and other stakeholders involved?

Maps: It’s similar to the political situation in Africa as a whole. We have a problem with succession. The legends, as you have mentioned, should be running workshops and imparting the knowledge that they have gained over their careers. On that note, I am currently working on an album which features artistes and producers from Lesotho, South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom. It is expected to be released later this year and was done in the form of the succession I just spoke about. It’s a body of positivity and a reflection of the upwardly mobile Mosotho.

One of the things that I have realised having done radio for so long, when we put local music on the airwaves, somebody else was supposed to come to take the next steps and so on. Fifteen years have passed and the needle has barely moved. We have ourselves to blame because the artistes, even at their prime, don’t organise themselves. Corporates need relevant marketing and there is nothing more relevant than local music. But if the local musicians don’t uphold professional standards and there is no growth seen among them, then they will never build anything sustainable and remain the hired help that’s doing campaigns which make these companies millions. Artistes are hungry and the people in the big offices know that.

Once a standard is set, it will make things easier for the creation of the structures that are needed. We need stakeholder engagement between artistes, promoters, studio owners and engineers and everyone else on the ground. Off that, a basic understanding can be shaped with the expectations of those involved being at the forefront of how this industry is built. That will in turn change the manner in which consumers behave. We control the music. They complain for a week but still will always love music and will learn to adapt. Artistes must stop working from a hunger point of view and look at things from a business perspective.

LT: Using your experience in the industry, what can you say about the calibre of artistes the country has to date?

Maps: One of the greatest things to see is how diverse the culture has become. Within hip hop alone there are many sub-genres including trap and the guys who stick to their backpack roots. Secondly, there are a bunch of hardworking guys. There are producers like Taks Beats who has worked with so many artistes and he hasn’t even owned that yet, which needs to change. The quality of the music has improved immensely. The visuals are also coming together. We have top tier MC’s including Circus Recipe and Nuch. These are guys who can box at an international level and that in itself is something we can really be proud of. In general, Basotho artistes such as Leomile and Maleh are of an international standard.

LT: What are your earliest memories of the hip hop industry?

Maps: My earliest memory is coming home for the holidays and going to talent shows at Machabeng College around 1997. I had the opportunity to watch OG’s like Papa Zee who, at the time, went by the name Zee Dogg. That made me realise that it’s actually happening around me and that it’s not just on television. That got me interested in making beats around 1998 alongside Maddting.

Mokhethi Rampeta aka Pharaoh dropped Dead on Arrival volume 1 and 2 in 2004 and that motivated me because at the time, I was trying to produce an album for Nuch. That made me want to work with a bunch of artistes and peaked my interest in terms of the recording and engineering side of it all as I was just producing beats prior to that period.

I was in high school seeing Proverb make it and that inspired me and when he made it in the industry it made it seem even more possible. I saw first-hand that this could really happen. That changed the game for me. I got to see Khuli Chana make it at the level he had and six month before that we were chilling and talking about that very moment. AKA was my classmate while I was still in sound engineering school.

The guys around me making it at the level they had motivated me but then when my friend Uzi died, I fell out of love with music. You can imagine how the three of us had been working together for 15 years only for one of us to die. My focus then became production as a whole which includes events, videos and not just music. Music is still my first love and the basis of everything that I do but that particular experience made me fall out of love with the music. It was only in 2018 when I started flirting with the idea of another album which is centred on succession and it is my way of giving back.  It’s a representation of the best that Basotho can be and it’s a reminder of how special we are as artistes.

LT: What can you say about the spotlight that is currently on Basotho artistes like Kommanda Obbs, Ntate Stunna and Malome Vector among others? What must be done to improve the industry?

Maps: I think these moments of recognition over the years have created a reference point for aspiring artistes to see that it can actually be done beyond the borders of Lesotho. It also put a lot of pressure of the artistes you have mentioned and others to perform because when you have been in a non-existent market for as long as they have been and you get out there it’s a totally different ball game. It’s also an artiste development window. We’re hoping these artistes can get out there and really box at that level.

But also, it’s difficult to sell and understand Sesotho music. You need to understand Sesotho beyond the language. Signing to a South African label will definitely give a Mosotho artiste access to bigger platforms. It’s a good look as far as what it says on the end of the label that may feel that our artistes are of a certain calibre. The biggest thing those artistes can do is learn from those labels and come impart that knowledge.

LT: What should artistes be mindful of when looking to enter the music industry?

Maps: A lot of artist development must happen here in Lesotho. Some of the music that is accepted by the consumers is subpar which is disheartening and misleading because of the hype it receives.

The first thing that artistes must be mindful of is originality. We have a bunch of artistes who are trying to sound like someone else in SA or the States. You must have a lane that’s yours. Give us something that’s not out there. Secondly, we need get over the familiarity in the sense that we let a lot of things slide as consumers because we know these artistes. A lot of them release subpar music and we let it go all under the guise of supporting local, and that must stop. The radio stations must be more accountable. Artistes will tell you that when I still had my Backdoor Sessions radio show it would take some time for their record to actually play on the show. But by the time it would play, they were hot and were making good music. We must interrogate our artistes. If they release music that is of a low standard, they need to be called out so that they can build from that criticism.

LT: What does the music industry in Lesotho look like in the future from your perspective?

Maps: Artistes must take themselves seriously because their audiences won’t take them seriously if they don’t. That will change how they are perceived in the eyes of listeners. I hope to see artistes treating themselves like artistes and releasing music that is of high quality so that more acts can get bookings and be seen on different stages. I hope to see artistes making music that is relevant to the world and venturing off into lucrative partnerships with corporations and organisations.

Artistes need to package themselves professionally for everyone else to take them more seriously. We also need more collaborations and communication in the form of music and honest feedback. A concerted effort must be seen between stakeholders including artistes, promoters, venue owner, videographers, radio jockeys and the likes. We need to interrogate ourselves. Structures need to be created. Lastly, artistes must get over themselves and make room for some advice. They must be more open to learning what they don’t know. As opposed to solely supporting their own work, they need to support that of their fellow colleagues in the entertainment space and vice versa.

LT: The coronavirus pandemic has halted activities within the entertainment industry and artistes are bearing the brunt of it all. What must be done during this period and in preparation for when the world opens back up once again?

Maps: For starters, the whole Covid-19 situation has changed how the world is going to work moving forward. But in regards to artistes, it is a great time to reflect and take advantage of the fact that the first-time consumers are sitting at home with nothing to do. It would be wise on the part of artistes to create content for them. We have platforms such as The Love Letter but we need more of those and for artistes to take onus too. I don’t think artistes are taking advantage of this period as they should and it’s a great opportunity to find ways of venturing into the virtual world and figuring out how they can sell their brand.

This pandemic has made it clear that artistes need to diversify. If you were making money on the road and from shows, maybe now you can find a way to make money off merchandise. But for people to buy your merchandise, they need to buy into your brand. Either way, it’s a great time for reflection and if you are really serious, you will find a way, whether small or big. Artistes must put in the work and things will eventually work out.

The post Artistes must stop working from a hunger perspective appeared first on Lesotho Times.

Bataung Moeketsi

AFTER announcing the release of a new EP on 7 July 2020, Unkle Krack and Veenushka made good on their promise and delivered Friday 22:31 last Friday.

The rapper and DJ duo produced, recorded and mastered their five-track project at their Khubetsoana recording studio which the two founded in May 2020, KV (Krack and Veenushka) Productions.

Speaking to the Weekender on Monday, Unkle Krack said the two put together the project at the spur of the moment a week prior to its release.

“Veenushka and I were chilling in the studio without any plans on the 3 July, we then started to go over beats he had compiled and I started recording at that very moment,” Krack said.

“By 2231 hours, we had completed three songs which was a first for me because I had never been in such a creative space where ideas would flow so easily.”

He added that out of the remaining two songs, DOWN 4 U had been a single they had recorded earlier before they started working on the EP. The stand-out track, TENFOLDS was recorded just a day before the EP’s release.

The Covid-19 pandemic has halted arts and cultural and sporting activities across the globe and Lesotho has not been spared.

Unkle Krack said when the lockdown was imposed in March this year, he became depressed on account of not being certain of how he would “put bread on the table.” He however, decided to focus on what he could do with his craft using social media.

“I learned that it was important for people to acquire multiple streams of income and realised that I needed to focus on the internet side of things and tap into new avenues which I could make work for me.

“Spending time in the studio has been therapeutic,” Krack said.

According to Veenushka, the two met last year after his girlfriend introduced him to Unkle Krack’s music and the two have since complimented each other’s individual strengths in terms of music production.

“We both had studio equipment and created KV Production after deciding to venture into business and working on a long-term goal.

“Our partnership has broadened my mind… We’re both learning from each other,” Veenushka said.

Unkle Krack and Veenushka also offer artistes and companies services that range from recording, music production and voiceover work among others. The duo has also enlisted Nkopane Mojakisane and Lebohang Thepa as part of their public relations team.

Last weekend, pictures of the artistes shooting the music video for the track TENFOLDS circulated on social media. The video was shot in Ha-Leronti by Mojakisane assisted by Mint Photography’s Khotso Thahane. According to Unkle Krack, the visuals will be released “soon”.

The artistes told this publication that they have songs in the pipeline with a number of South African and Basotho artistes.

Unkle Krack said he hopes to surpass all his expectations, broaden his audience across the world and become visible on various platforms.

As for Veenushka, he hopes to change the audience’s perception of viewing him as a mere DJ.

They also hope to venture into selling branded merchandise, hosting live performances and engaging in charity work.

The post Unkle Krack, Veenushka release new music appeared first on Lesotho Times.