ARTS AND CULTURAL FESTIVAL A SYMBOL OF UNITY-KING

King Letsie III has officiated at the Morija Arts and Cultural festival held at Morija since Thursday October 03 to 06. In his speech during the opening ceremony on Saturday, King indicated that the festival is a symbol of peace and unity among the Basotho nation, clarifying that the festival has over the four years of celebrations,
brought a positive impression towards the Basotho culture. He mentioned that the festival has also brought people together to celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of Lesotho, saying that it is an opportunity for all Basotho to show their culture and to have a taste of several other cultures from neighbouring countries.
                                                               

His Majesty King Letsie III at the official opening of Morija Arts And Cultural Festival (pic.L.Mphafi)

The King further noted that most Basotho, especially small and medium enterprises have benefited from the festival by displaying their various goods and eventually selling them, saying that the festival therefore, helps in poverty alleviation. He mentioned that since there is need for development, the festival will help for it attracts tourists who contribute positively to the economic growth of the country, saying as people celebrate, they should not forget that the country currently faces famine and that people should immediately take charge of the situation by engaging in agricultural activities.

The King concluded by thanking all the donors for making the festival a reality, saying that the Government of Lesotho has also played an important role in the preparation of the festival. He appealed to the Morija Community to keep up the good spirit of welcoming all the visitors to their court. At the same occasion, the Minister of Tourism, Sports and Culture Mrs Lebohang Nts'inyi indicated that the arts and cultural festival should be taken as opportunity to bringing solidarity and peace among the Basotho nation.

Maseru Vocal Waves and Bereng High School singing the song that stressed the theme of the Festival which is  "A Nation in Harmony" (Kaofela re chabana sa khomo) (pic.L.Mphafi)

The Minister said if peace and solidarity reign in a nation, positive experiences that include poverty reduction projects are usually achieved. She, therefore, appealed to all Basotho of different ages to let the cultural festival change their behavior, saying that most of all, people should change for better and work hand in hand as a means of keeping peace in the country. She said the Festival has also attracted a lot of tourists, saying that the tourists contribute a great deal to the Economic development of the country, thanking the small entrepreneurs for improving their lives by using their
hands to produce goods that they are able to sell.

Meanwhile, the Morija Arts and Cultural provides time for all Basotho to demonstrate the richness of their culture and, at the same time to experience the culture of neighbours in the wider regions. It is the fourth annual cultural festival to take place, attracting overseas groups such as Chinese Orchestra Group from China, Jazz group from France, as well as theater groups from SADC countries of South Africa and Namibia.

 05 October,2002