Music may be food for some, entertainment for others. Someone may once become a means of livelihood, the path of music. In this path there can be competition, rivalry. But it can sometimes take the form of sectarian warfare, which usually no one will remember. But that is what is happening in Lesotho, a country in the southern African monarchy. Controversy over star performers surrounding an exceptional harmonium-based music has turned the country into the murder capital of the African continent. A BBC report has come up with this story of bloodshed surrounding music.
‘Maybe I survived as a woman,’ said Puseletso Sima in a calm voice.
The shadow of his once strong voice in his soft voice. Thousands of fans from southern Africa and other parts of the world flocked to beer halls and stadiums to hear his voice.
He is sitting on the verandah of his small cement block. He has no touch in the house of this artist who has achieved success in music year after year. “Everyone here wants to own a gun and show their bravery,” he said.
Village after village of orphans in a once gentlemanly poem
Famo’s beginning as a musician is absolutely gentlemanly. It begins with the traditional hymns of the pilgrims.The hymns were a lot like spontaneous folk poetry or rap.
From then on, the cycle of revenge and counter-revenge began.
.......................The song begins with the ritual of insulting and humiliating the opponent.The same has happened to hundreds of producers, fans and DJs and family members of musicians associated with this music.
One of the patrons of this music is Sebonomoya Ramainoyane. Explaining the nature of the atrocities, he said, “They came looking for you at home. He saw that you were not at home. They will kill your wife, they will kill your children. They will kill all the members of the family. Orphans now live in village after village because of this Famo music. ‘
Many have been forced to leave their homes for fear of their lives. Most of Lesotho is rural. The population of this country of enchanting beauty is about 20 lakhs. The landlocked country is bordered by South Africa. The country ranked sixth in the world in the number of homicides last year. Probably a factor as to why they’re doing so poorly.
“Jealousy is nothing but jealousy,” said Sima, explaining the beginning of the massacre. “When the artists started promoting themselves, they started singing insulting songs for others,” he said.
Growing up like most Famo stars, Seema had to struggle with poverty. “I started singing at a very young age,” she said. I used to graze animals. It’s not the job of young girls. But I used to fight with the boys in the pasture. ‘
Sima left home in search of her own destiny. He sang to entertain thousands of people who had left Lesotho to work in gold and diamond mines in South Africa.
Famor originated in the middle of the twentieth century. The name is thought to have originated from the Lesotho language Sesotho’s word “wafamola.” The word is used to refer to the swinging or swaying of a skirt in the exuberant moments of women dancing to the beat of music.
Sima is good at dancing. He used to perform exercises with a traditional fighting stick while swinging his waist in a grass skirt. Strict-minded miners were also his visitors. “They were very happy,” he said. But they were afraid of me. They thought I would kill them. When I left the stage, I kept my face serious without looking around. No one would come near me. ‘
Sima encouraged Bereng Mazoro, a young native and one-time pastoralist, to come to music. On stage he is known as Lecase, which means ‘coffin’. He is now retiring. Lexus was sitting in his small house on the outskirts of Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. “Singing means competition,” he said. Everyone wants to win. “
In both South Africa and Lesotho, Famo musicians and their fans are divided into several groups. Traditional blankets of special colors later separate themselves from each other. The color of the Terene group is yellow. It is one of the largest group. The color of Sikh blankets is akashi and black. The artist of this group in Lecce.
When one of the co-stars was threatened, Lecas would go into hiding. Although he was living in South Africa at the time. He kept a gun with him all the time. He did not answer questions about whether he had killed anyone. Laugh and avoid the question. But Lecce said, “I fought back. Because, when I see someone burying and find out he was killed by another group, I get angry. I have to take revenge for that. “
The cause of the murder when the song Kali
Famo artist Salope Mohlobuti was the victim of a retaliatory attack back in Lesotho. In 2010, he was shot dead in his secluded home in the hilly Matelile district. In his last song, he slammed the killers of another musician, saying, “Little kid.” The artist was his cousin. He was also killed in this song.