They say: “Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.” I want to believe that we all have our own different definitions of “beauty.” I’m not really good in formulas, but I don’t think there is any mathematical or scientific formula that defines “beauty.” Botle bo ka fumanoa bathong ba itseng kapa linthong tse itseng kapa libakeng tse itseng tseo mahlo a rona a liratang. As for me, when I talk about the beauty, ke bua ka botle ba Lesotho—I mean the total beauty of my motherland, Lesotho—it is often referred to as the “Switzerland of Africa” or Kingdom in the Sky or Mountain Kingdom.
I became an adult in August 2016. How did I know? During my last days of my youth, I was reminded by one of the co-founders of our organisation, MALITO, that a youth is someone falling within the range of 15 and 35 years of age. I wasn’t the only one reminded, but everyone who was present at our first meeting. I had just celebrated my 35th birthday in August 2015.
The meeting was held two months after my birthday.
The message conveyed was crystal-clear in my ears, though o ile oa nkemisa litlhokonyana tje! But, it was just a wake-up call for me. Then I realised that in the next couple of months I would no longer be called mocha anymore. Mocha means youth. I was a bit worried. But, there was nothing I could do to falsify my age. It was a reality. I had to face it. How could I deny my age?
So, I had to accept that my youthful days were nearly over. However, accepting that I would no more be mocha in the next 10 months wasn’t that simple. It was not child’s play to accept to be in the “world of limited opportunities.” It is an undeniable truth that when young people turn 36, opportunities become slimmer for them.
This is caused by the prevailing “stereotype” in the labour market. Today, we still have employers who often believe that age is a determinant of work performance. I don’t agree with them. They say: “Age is just a number.” I, too, say so. Realising that I was gradually approaching my adulthood, I was becoming so anxious.
I anticipated that I would be side-lined when job opportunities knocked in the future. The reason could be that I would be regarded as “old.”
I graduated from the university in March 2012. Now, approximately six years had lapsed since my graduation day but, I didn’t have a job to provide for myself. After exhausting many years in the university, I was hoping that my hard work would later payoff. However, there was nothing promising until today. Though I accepted my fate, hope was still the last thing to lose. Somehow, life seems to be not fair to me because I got my first degree at the age of 31, but still 6 years down the line I’m still jobless. My country seems not to have enough opportunities to absorb us in the labour market.
This situation is really terrible. Nonetheless, I am not blind to see other positive things about my country—the beauty of my country. This is the beauty that is unexplainable, which resides deep in the beautiful mountains of Lesotho.
As a proud Mosotho gentleman, born in the early eighties and still residing permanently in this small nation, one may assume that I know every corner of my country. But, this isn’t the case with me. It’s not because I sometimes wish I wasn’t born in this poor land.
Although, this country is poor, the situation can’t erase the fact that Lesotho ke lefats’e ke labo ntata rona, meaning Lesotho is the land of our Fathers. Furthermore, there are a number of things to cherish and be proud of: the highest valued diamonds, the beautiful Range Mountains and the abundant highlands water.
I’ve lived in Lesotho for over a period of three and a half decades. But unfortunately, I only know what I can estimate to be 50% coverage of the country. I roughly reached this conclusion because I only travelled to five out of ten districts of Lesotho. I’d never had the opportunity to travel to other remaining districts. Butha-Buthe, where I am currently staying, is the first
district from the north of the country. When I’m travelling to the capital city, Maseru, which is central, I pass via Leribe and Berea districts. Everything that is “good” and “useful” has been centralised in Maseru. For instance, more universities, more colleges and more institutes of higher learning are situated in Maseru.
I’ve never been to the following districts: Mafeteng, Mohale’shoek, Quthing, Qacha’snek and Thaba-Tseka.
The fifth district that I know is Mokhotlong, which is the tenth district of Lesotho. In Mokhotlong, I have once been to a place called Lets’eng la Terai. Lets’eng Diamonds Mine is found in this place. I only saw the mine from a distance of less than 10 kilometres, but I didn’t have the opportunity to be so close up.
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Tell us: Would you say you know your country very well? Are you well-travelled?