Subject-matter and theme of the classical dithoko vs 2000 dithoko

In order to manage or handle the subject-matter discussed from the examples cited, use will be made of what may be called segmentation, that is, a method according to which a group of lines having bearing on a particular aspect of the subject-matter will

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be grouped together, and the parts so identified will be referred to as segments of either the thoko, the sefela or the seboko.

The following example of the classical thoko from Mangoaela’s Lithoko tsa marena

a Basotho (1921: 66-69), entitled Ntoa ea Seqiti (The Seqiti war 1865 – 1868),

composed in honour of chief Lerotholi for his role in the war between the O.F.S. Boers and the Basotho, can be broken down into the following segments:

Lerotholi’s Seqiti war poem

The fatherland is going

In lines 1-10 the seroki relates the fierceness with which Lerotholi engages in the battle to save the fatherland, Lesotho, from being taken by the Boers. He says in line 6,

Ua bona fatše leno lea ea.

You see that your fatherland is going.

The expectation is that the Boers would retreat from the approaching warriors of Lerotholi. The seroki, referring to the Boers, makes the following plea in line 9,

A le tloheng batho ba Majoro,

Won’t you go away, you people of the Major,

Batho ba Majoro (people of the Major) refer to all the white people who at that time were under Major Warden, the British Resident in the Orange River Sovereignty until 1852 (Damane and Sanders, 1974:138).

Gun and cannon sounds

Lines 11-40 refer to the sounds of the guns and cannons indicative of the fierceness of the battle. The war was characterized by flashes of lightning and of blazing fires as the war caused destruction even on the mountains. Says the seroki in lines 11-12,

137 Lehohoretse le tsamaile moo,

La hohoretsa lipheo, la chesa. Ya sala eka li beetse thabeng,

The sweeping bird of lightning has gone there, It swept along its wings and it burned.

It seemed as if the lightning had nested in the mountains,

It was at a time like this that President J.H. Brand tried to intervene. He was the President of the Free State from 1864 to 1888 (ibid. p.138). This is referred to in line 21,

Ke bo-Borane ho tliloe ka lekoebe,

It is Brand and his men who have come as if in anger,

President Brand and his men had no alternative but to retreat because, Sefako sa linehella se matla; (line 23)

The destructive hail is strong;

The attack by Lerotholi and his warriors is metaphorically likened to the strong hail that beats the enemies and forces them to draw back. The further sound of guns and cannons are referred to in line 35,

Rata le lla le bapile le thaba,

A noise resounding near the mountain,

This, according to Damane and Sanders (1974:139), alludes to an incident which occurred in November 1868. Some Boers, who had apparently been stealing horses, were detected in a gully. Lerotholi and about fifty of his men gave chase, and

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pursued them as far as the mountain, Kolo. Lerotholi was wounded and fell from his horse; two of his men were killed; and one of the Boers was killed.

Lerotholi, the saviour from God

In lines 41-49 Lerotholi is referred to as a man whom God has allowed fighting and whose warriors are ready to engage in any possible war in order to save the Basotho, the Nguni and the Kwelela tribes (lines 48-49) which formed part of Lerotholi’s people.

Arbortive intervention by Theophilus Shepstone

At the outbreak of war (Damane and Sanders 1974:140), Lesaoana, the child of Lerotholi’s uncle, invaded Natal and captured a large number of cattle belonging to the Boers. Theophilus Shepstone, Secretary for Native Affairs in Natal, mentioned in line 53, tried to intervene but failed. Moshoeshoe, instead of compelling Lesaoana to surrender his booty, tried to raise the fine by a public appeal. This caused much bad feeling among the Basotho, and in particular between Letsie and Lesaoana. This subject-matter is alluded to in lines 52-54 and 58,

Re bone ka Ramosoeu ho khathatsa! Ramosoeu o batla sethaba-thaba, Ho ntšitsoe khomo, ha lia lekana…, Tsa mo qabanya le ngoan’a rangoanae. We saw that Shepstone was giving us trouble! Shepstone is seeking a public appeal,

Cattle have been paid but they don’t suffice, They embroiled him with the child of his uncle.

The subject-matter in the thoko discussed above, is the fatherland, Lesotho, the Seqiti war, literally, the war of the cannon sounds, the sounds of the guns and the cannons, Lerotholi as saviour of his people, and the intervention by Shepstone, which all convey the theme, the saving of Lesotho from the Boers.

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Lerotholi Mojela (1895-1961) who did not actually take part in the fighting but led a detachment of the Basotho soldiers to fight on the side of the Allied Forces during the First World War in 1914-1918. The subject-matter in this thoko of 177 lines in Mangoaela (1921: 226-230) can be segmented as follows:

Lerotholi Mojela: World War 1 (1914-1918)

A hero emerges

In this long segment, lines 1-108, the seroki relates the involvement of Chief Lerotholi Mojela in the war. At the outbreak of the war in France, Lerotholi Mojela was made a sacrifice (line 5) with a sweet-smelling savour as he took a chance on his life by taking part in the war whose results would not only be acceptable to the Basotho, but would make him emerge as a hero of high standing. When he and his men left for France, they first went to Cape Town and Algoa Bay. Line 13 in which the seroki compares the speedy departure of Lerotholi Mojela and his men to a foreign war says,

Ea betsoa, ea lebisoa Kapa le Bay;

It was fired, it was sent towards the Cape and the Bay (i.e. Algoa Bay);

The seroki suggests that so fearsome a warrior was Lerotholi Mojela that Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, on hearing that he was being sent against him, begged with tears in his eyes. This is in lines 28-30,

Lekena le ‘Muso, le ntšoarele! Ntšoareleng, Marena, ke fositse, Ke fahlile ‘muso ka lehlabathe!

Lekena and Government, forgive me! Forgive me, Chiefs, I’ve erred,

I’ve besmeared the Government’s eyes with sand!

140 41,

Na o kile a latella ntoa, Esita Europe a e latelle!

Indeed he once followed the war, He followed it even to Europe!

Lines 86-87 inform us that the journey of Lerotholi Mojela and his soldiers to France was by sea,

Sekepe a nka sa ‘Muso le Seeiso, Se mona se seholo sa ntoa.

He took the ship of the Government and Seeiso, This great one, the warship one.

On his return from France, Lerotholi Mojela, in July 1920, during a session of the Basutoland National Council, received the Medal for Meritorious Service from the Resident Commissioner (Damane and Sanders 1974:239). The seroki alludes to this in lines 94-95,

A bitsoa Maseru, Meja-Metalana, Teng a fihla a nehoa korone.

He was called to Maseru, to Meja-Metalana, On arrival, he was given a medal.

Lerotholi Mojela’s placing at Tebang

After his return from France, Lerotholi Mojela was placed as chief at Tebang where old people were proud to be under his protection (lines 109-129). Says the seroki in line 129,

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(Old people) They entered a tent in summer,

Blessings of his rule

In lines 130 to 134, the blessed rule of Lerotholi Mojela is referred to in highly figurative language. Calling all to enjoy the safe and peaceful rule under Lerotholi, says the poet in lines 132-133,

Barui le mafutsana, phuthehang, Tlong kapele le tshabele moriting! Rich and poor, gather together,

Come quickly and shelter in the shade!

Dispute with Molapo

According to Damane and Sanders (1974:234) the dispute between the brothers, Lerotholi and Molapo, arose over succession. There was no surviving male in the first four houses of their father, Mojela. Lerotholi was the senior son in the fifth house, and Molapo the senior in the sixth. Molapo who had been his father’s favourite, claimed that Mojela’s marriage to Lerotholi’s mother had been invalid, and that Lerotholi should be regarded as the adopted son. After many meetings, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council gave its decision in June 1928 in favour of Lerotholi. In lines 135- 154 the seroki advises Lerotholi to proceed cautiously, and not to take precipitate action against those who had opposed him in the chieftainship dispute. He alludes to these Makaota ‘stray people who live by hunting and gathering’ who have returned to their allegiance to Lerotholi, in line 149,

Ke ana a khutlile Makaota!

They’re here, the Makaota have returned!

Basutoland National Council

According to Damane and Sanders (1974:141), lines 155-157 allude to Lerotholi Mojela as a member of Basutoland National Council which met in Maseru where

142 members would sit and make laws:

Ka mehla h’a ea Maseru o beisa pere; Ka mehla h’a khutla oa e tšoara;

When going to Maseru he races his horse; Always, when returning, he restrains it,

Positioning near the borders of Lesotho

Lines 158-163 relate the positioning of Lerotholi which is near the borders of Lesotho. The compound word, se-thiba-liheke ‘the-guardian-of-the-gates’ in line 159 explains part of his responsibilities as chief. He is on the boundary at the Caledon (line 160), he guards the gates in the west (line 161), and those of Wepener (161).

Fairness of complexion

This is related in lines 164-168 where his light complexion is compared to lehlabathe ‘sand’, linaleli ‘the stars’, and mafube ‘the dawn’.

First World War again

In lines 169 to 172 the seroki once again recounts the destruction caused by the First World War. Comparing Lerotholi to a bullet, the seroki says,

Ea qhoma, ea chesa lira tsa ‘Muso, Likepe ea li etsa marantha,

It exploded and burnt the Government’s enemies; Of the ships it made splinters,

Lerotholi Mojela as “light”

Lines 173-177 constitute an exclamatory stanza in which Lerotholi Mojela is depicted as “light” of the rulers, the mighty chief, the lord, and the master.

The above segments of the subject-matter have been effectively used to convey the theme which is the laudation of the hero and warning against the destruction of war.

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Based on the two above examples of the classical dithoko, the general statement can be made, namely, that the subject-matter is relative to the experiences of the praiser or the one who is praised. Nevertheless, there are instances where the seroki may exaggerate the events and thereby distort their veracity. For instance, in Lerotholi Mojela’s thoko, in lines 28-30, the truthfulness of the following assumed to have been spoken by Kaiser Wilhelm II, is questionable,

Lekena le ‘Muso, le ntšoarele! Ntšoareleng, Marena, ke fositse, Ke fahlile ‘muso ka lehlabathe!

Lekena and Government, forgive me! Forgive me, Chiefs, I’ve erred,

I’ve besmeared the Government’s eyes with sand!

The exaggerations commonly found in the dithoko sometimes sacrifice accuracy for the sake of satire, eulogy and aesthetic excellence. Confirming this, Damane and Sanders (1974: 59) give the true nature of the dithoko in saying,

They (the lithoko) are not historical narratives, but poetry with historical allusions.

Discussion (Power and ideology)

The traditional cultural state of affairs during the times of the diroki was such that the political power rested in the hands of the chief. The one praised was mainly the chief, and little or nothing was said about the role played by the warriors themselves who sacrificed their lives in the battles or wars they fought. Compare the thoko on Ntoa ea Seqiti ‘The Seqiti war’ composed in honour of Lerotholi’s role against the O.F.S. Boers, and the fact that Mangoaela decided to refer to his anthology of the dithoko as

Lithoko tsa marena a Basotho ‘Praise poems of the Basotho Chiefs’. The ideology

of power is still significant in the case between Britain and Lesotho during World War 1 (1914-1918) where many of the Basotho men had volunteered to go and fight on the side of Britain, their Master, as the latter had requested its colonies to come to its rescue by fighting the Master’s war not on home ground but elsewhere. The

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relationship of power and subservience thus characterize the subject-matter of many of the Basotho dithoko compositions.

Economic situation

According to Kunene (1971: 1) the wars fought by the Basotho were not inspired by economic need, or starvation, or anything of the kind, but the test of strength, of manliness, of daring; it was done in the pursuit of honour. I however disagree with this statement. My contention is that during the classical period the Basotho engaged in wars mainly for economic reasons. They fought and captured heads of cattle, a number of horses and sheep from their neighbouring tribes for the same reason. The Basotho fought in the war of Senekal (1858), for instance, because they were not satisfied with the Warden boundary according to which they would get a small share of the land, their economy. Mangoaela conveys the same sentiment in the preface of his praise poetry anthology, Lithoko tsa marena a Basotho (1988 [1921]: vi) where he says,

Basotho e bile batho ba lintoa, ba phetseng ka lerumo joale ka lichaba tsohle tsa South Africa, e ne e se sechaba sa makoala. E bile sechaba sa bahale, sa banna ba tsebang ho loanela se-sa-bona.

The Basotho have been people of war, whose existence was the spear just like the other tribes of South Africa; they were not a nation of cowards. They have been a nation of heroes, of men who knew how to fight for what-belongs-to-them.

What-belongs-to-them was their property, the land, the foundation of their economy. Economic advancement in the form of cattle-raiding and land acquisition were the primary reasons for the Basotho’s engagement in wars or battles, whilst the test of strength, of manliness, of daring, the pursuit of honour, was but the secondary reason. Moshoeshoe after raiding all the cattle belonging to Ramonaheng, he composed poetic lines in which he said, Ke nna Moshoeshoe, moshwashwaila wa ha Kadi, Lebeola le beotseng Ramonaheng ditedu. ‘I am Moshoeshoe, the shaver of Kadi’s, the Razor that has shaved Ramonaheng’s beards’. Like a razor that shaved the beards, he swept all the cattle belonging to Ramonaheng.

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Social situation

The diroki were part and parcel of the society to which they belonged, and their oral composition, especially the subject-matter and themes were not confined to the poet’s comrades-in-arms, but had a general bearing on the society. The subject- matter served as a vehicle through which their heroic activities on the battlefield were reported to the society in a highly poetic form. It served also as a means whereby part of the history of the nation was preserved from one generation to the next. The various places such as the dipitso ‘the national assemblies’, matsema ‘work-parties’ served as platforms where the heroic events pertaining to the society were related. It was from these social gatherings where heroic warriors were born because the spirit of heroic fighting was profoundly inculcated in the younger generation.

We now turn to the examples of the dithoko recorded on video tape in August 2000 where we look at their subject-matter and themes to see whether or not they have shifted from those of the classical dithoko. The first example is chanted by Mofoka Rasetla (Appendix no.14) at ‘Melesi. His thoko composed of 65 lines may be regarded as being closer to the classical dithoko as the subject-matter of the thoko which was mainly about the hero, who in this case, is King Letsie III (Mohato), the ruling monarch. The thoko can be segmented as follows:

Mofoka Rasetla

Church sacrament (Lines 1-9)

In his introduction the seroki mentions the name of the hero he is praising, namely, King Letsie III, and warns him to guard against the church sacrament which may be poisoned and used as a ploy to endanger his life under the pretext that it is madi a Jesu ‘the blood of Jesus’.

Fear of death and the Lesotho churches

In lines 10-17 fear of death by the Majakane, that is, those who have accepted a foreign religion, Christianity, is the subject-matter the seroki is relating, and is stated as the truth prophesized long ago by chief Seeiso, grandfather to king Letsie III. Since then Seeiso turned against the Roman Catholic Church for its allerged ‘blasphemy’ as well as the church of the Paris Evangelical Mission Society for its

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stand against the use of bohadi cattle (marriage cattle) in the Basotho marriages. Conflict with the Roman Catholic Church started when chief Seeiso, having more than twenty wives, was told that in order to be accepted into the Roman Catholic Church he would have to give them up except his senior wife, ’Mabatho who was a Protestant (cf. Damane and Sanders, 1974:243).

A cow to milk

A plea that king Letsie III should show mercy to his subjects by buying for them cows so that every time they milk them, they should think of him as a generous king is conveyed in lines 18-36.

In document Basotho oral poetry at the beginning of the 21st century (Page 147-158)