By Staff Writer
THE Maseru Mall housed Kingdom Lounge will next Sunday host Basotho Night, a concept inspired by the love to preserve cultural heritage.
Organiser DJ Tseko, born Tseko Mamonyane told the Xpress People that they expect their patrons to come dressed in traditional regalia while they will also serve traditional food at the event.
He however, said he was aware of how much men struggle to dress in traditional costumes and often resort to using the Basotho blanket.
“I can almost predict that men will struggle to find attires that will fit for the event apart from the blankets which they are unlikely to have for the whole night,” DJ Tseko said.
“On the other hand, women are at home in Seshoeshoe dresses so they will be comfortable.”
He said the country has suffered from a lot of cultural erosion hence he came up with the concept to ensure that Basotho remain proud of their culture.
“We are losing our culture and I am trying to drag people back into it because it is our identity.”
The inaugural edition of the Basotho Night, the concept is also meant to provide a prelude for the Moshoeshoe Day which is celebrated on 11 March annually.
One of the proprietors of the Kingdom Lounge, DJ Tseko said while his plan is to ensure that the event becomes an annual occurrence, he is aware that the entertainment market in Lesotho is complex.
He said locals have a tendency of neglecting local concepts yet they are prepared to spend an arm and a leg on foreign soil.
“In Lesotho people do not understand entertainment. I will give an example of the Lesotho Tourism Festival (LETOFE) which struggled for five consecutive years losing money annually because people in this country are slow to catch the drift.
“If you hold a show once and it fails, don’t stop.”
He said he was even ready to incur losses hosting the Basotho Night until the majority of showbiz lovers get used to it.
“At the Basotho Night we are charging M100 which will cater for food and entrance fees but I know people are going to say its too much. They will always complain but I will not stop holding the show. I want to get to a stage where I engage people who make traditional regalia to come and sell their wares outside the venue and people who but the wares get free entrance.”
DJ Tseko said most local show organisers struggle because of lack of support emanating from Basotho’s hatred of each other. He said while some may complain about certain issues on a show held at home, they would rather spend even more for the same concept elsewhere.
“Basotho don’t like each other. Whenever there is a show, they want to know who is organising the show. If you ask who is going for the Bushfire Festival in Swaziland, you will see hordes of people saying they are going even before they know how much they are going to spend on transport and accommodation. But they never do that here at home.”
DJ Tseko said while the Basotho Night is a cultural event, where traditional music will be played by Rabotso le Semanyane, he will still spice it up with contemporary music on the decks along with DJ Mtsuzi and their resident DJ.
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