Nthatuoa Koeshe

POET Tsebo Phakisi will later this month host her debut edition of the ‘Mesa Festival at Rockview in Berea.

The festival will run from 20 to 21 April 2019 and will feature poetry, yoga, panel discussions on art and stage readings of books among others under the theme “Unearthing Tomorrow”.

Tsebo said the festival was created with the sole purpose of establishing a space that nurtures thought, networking and creativity in ways that centre on the intellectual and creative inventions and ventures of Basotho.

She said the activities of the ‘Mesa Festival will be divided into three sections namely in the morning, the afternoon and the evening.

“For both days, in the morning there will be a yoga session, hiking, breakfast, panel discussions, readings, kids’ activities and craft sessions while in the afternoon there will be activities such as stall walk-about, poetry performances, live music and a Socratic seminar (relating to Socrates or his philosophy),” Tsebo said.

“There will also be a bonfire, litšomo exhibitions, poetry sessions and fire walk in the evening.”

Tsebo said in curating wholesome festivals that appeal to the experiences and values of different generations, they intend to build an intergenerational ecosystem of socially conscious individuals, art and wellness enthusiasts and local brands who share the same vision and are dedicated to finding out what the future has for them.

“In facilitating a space and platform of this nature, we seek to influence Lesotho’s social culture and engineering by offering an alternative and eclectic event geared towards unearthing a better tomorrow and engaging those we believe can imagine it,” Tsebo said.

She said the ‘Mesa Festival seeks to facilitate an engagement that will create an intersection for the different classes to work towards mining strategies that will grow and benefit them primarily and thus forecast and “unearthing the future”.

Tsebo said they intend to work with the local communities in producing a festival that is people centric, inclusive and accessible.

“In organising this intimate and interactive space, we not only hope to entertain but to sensitise and connect Basotho.”

She said there will be two panel discussions the first being about making art lucrative in Lesotho while the second is about “unearthing tomorrow” which seeks to engage people from various sectors such as educationists, feminists and environmentalists.