Simon Davies :: Lesotho

Home Blog Contact Publications/Research Countries Worked In Teaching C.V. Links	Facts and Figues :: Per capita GDP is about US$1,300 in terms of purchasing power. Around one third of this is remittances from Basotho working in South Africa (mostly mines). The population is just over two million and the country is about the size of Belgium. It is entirely surrounded by South Africa. The country has an HIV/AIDS infection rate of around one third. Around 80% of the country is Christian of various denomination (mostly Roman Catholic) and 20% indigenous beliefs. The literary rate is 85%, but this is 95% for females and 75% for males. The country is a constitutional monarchy (one of only 3 remaining monarchies in Africa) and the current head of state is King Letsie III. Here are a few links that provide some facts and figures about Lesotho: CIA World Factbook United Nations Development Programme World Bank Lesotho Bureau of Statistics International Monetary Fund Demographic and Health Survey
	Blogs :: There are several good blogs written by people in Lesotho. Most of them are written by ex-pats, and provide really interesting insights into both the culture in Lesotho and some of the challenges people working in development here face. I use Google Reader to follow the world of blogs for Lesotho and elsewhere. Recent entries I find especially interesting are shown on the right.
	Books :: There are not too many books on Lesotho. Some of the ones I have found interesting or useful are shown on the right. "The Anti-Politics Machine" by James Ferguson is a fascinating book about a donor funded development project undertaken in Lesotho in the late 70s and early 80s. The project is one of many in Lesotho which failed and Ferguson aims to understand why so many expensive development projects are undertaken when most similar ones have failed in the past. He delves into the culture in the "development industry" using local interviews and publically avaiable reports on projects. Thanks to having lived in Lesotho he is able to discuss faascinating aspects of the local Basotho culture to try to understand in depth what keeps going wrong and why as well as providing a wonderful insight into life, politics and culture in Lesotho. "Singing Away the Hunger" by Mpho'M'atsepo Nthunya is an autobiography of a Lesotho lady who told stories about her life to an American scholar living in Lesotho. The book is a series of tragic stories told by a lady with little formal education but an ability to captivate listeners. Although moving, Mpho is a strong and resourceful lady who does not get sentimental and does not demand your sympathy. Rather, the story in each chapter is a challenged to be faced by people in desperate poverty. Through her stories, Mpho gives a beautiful insight into Basotho culture including marriage customs, religiosity, "white medicine" versus traditional medicine, family life and social interactions. This book is wonderful to read and the ideal introduction to Lesotho. I very highy recommend it.
	Travel :: To the best of my knowledge, there are no books available on the international market which are uniquely about Lesotho. In any case, it is unlikely that many people woud want one. Below are a few products from amazon.co.uk which might be useful.
	Research :: There has been some academic and other work on Lesotho. Repec Working Papers:: Some Economic papers on Lesotho on various topics inluding remittances, poverty, health/HIV/AIDS, water resources, exports, infrastructure, ... Google Scholar :: A search for "Lesotho". Add other key words for more specific information on different topics. National University of Lesotho
	Sesotho :: The native language in Lesotho is Sesotho, or Southern Sotho. The 2 million population of Lesotho speak it, but it is also an official language of South Africa and, in total, there are over 5 million speakers. It is tricky to find any books or CDs to help learn the language, but here is a CDROM which I am using, plus a multi-lingual dictionary.