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FOL Newsletter 3QTR Metsoalle ea Lesotho Friends of Lesotho Third Quarter 2014 Newsletter Newsletter Features Clickable Links!! Download the newsletter from the FOL FOL President Appointed website www.friendsoflesotho.org and you will be able to click on all the Honorary Consul website addresses. Friends of Lesotho President Scott Rosenberg was appointed Honorary Consul by the Lesotho Embassy in Washington, DC. He will represent Lesotho in Ohio and the Midwest and help facilitate greater cooperation between the two countries to promote Lesotho’s trade, tourism, investment, and cultural activities to Ameri- cans, and he will also assume protocol responsibilities for visiting Basotho dignitaries. The current Ambassador to the US, serving in the Washington DC consulate, is Ambassador Molapi Sepetane. Scott Rosenberg (R) with Lesotho Minister of Protocol Moshuli Leteka, Summer 2014, Maseru. Photo Credit: Thabo Moseunyane Was There a Coup or Not? By Ella Kwisnek, RPCV 92-94, Lesotho Agricultural College, [email protected] A quarterly newsletter is not an ideal place for fast-breaking news, so thanks to RPCV Ella Kwis- nek for compiling this log of events that made front pages on world newspapers during August and Sept 2014. ~ Ed. What happened? On Saturday, August 30, 2014, there was a reported “coup d'état attempt by the military” in Lesotho. Soldiers reportedly disarmed police and one police officer was killed as the result of an ex- change of gunfire between soldiers and police. Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas Thabane fled to South Africa and accused his deputy Mothetjoa Metsing Photo Credit: Linda Henry, RPCV of being behind the army's actions. Foreign Ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) States met with the leaders of the three political parties that made up Lesotho’s Coalition govern- ment in an attempt to resolve the conflict. Inside this issue: The army stated that they were not staging a coup, but rather working to prevent police from arming a politi- FOL President Appointed cal faction in advance of a demonstration planned for Monday, September 1, 2014, which was protesting as Honorary Consul 1 Thabane’s suspension of Parliament. Was There a Coup or Not? 1 Peace Corps Volunteers were consolidated in nearby South Africa locations. Consolidation is a precau- tionary safety measure that Peace Corps deploys in times of emergency, and does not necessarily lead to Forgotten Kingdom DVD 2 evacuation from the country. Meet Michelle Wilcox 3 What Led to This? After the May 2012 elections failed to produce an outright winner, the All Basotho Convention (ABC) of Thomas Thabane, the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) of Mothetjoa Metsing, Litaba tsa Lesotho 4 and the Basotho National Party (BNP) of Thesele Maseribane formed an “uneasy” coalition. RPCV Reunion Roadtrip 5 In late spring, the LCD asserted that Thabane was making crucial government decisions without consulting Summer Service Learning 6 the two coalition partners and called for mediation by the Christian Council of Lesotho (CCL). The LCD warned that the Prime Minister’s conduct could lead to the disintegration of the three-party coalition govern- Water: Lesotho vs. USA 7 ment. Laptops to Lesotho 8-9 Indeed, in June 2014, the coalition began to dissolve as Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) leader and Dear Electricity 9 Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Mothetjoa Metsing left the coalition pact to form a new alliance with the rival Democratic Congress (DC) of former Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili. The LCD asserted that “…we Put FOL In Your Will 10 (Continued on page 2) Membership Form 11 Third Quarter 2014 Page 2 Metsoalle ea Lesotho Have Your Own Forgotten Kingdom Movie Party Sulking because the Forgotten Kingdom movie never opened in your town? Have your own Kingdom party. Order a DVD online today. Awards to date with more coming: Best Feature – Woodstock Film Festival, Best Director – Pan Africa Film Festival, Audience Awards – Sarasota & Cambridge Film Festivals. www.forgottenkingdomthemovie.com Was There a Coup or Not? (Continued from page 1) cannot continue to be party to such a coalition where the powers and offices of the people are becoming tools to persecute, purge and instill fear to the citizenry.” After Metsing’s departure, Thabane suspended Parliament. As long as Parliament is not in session, Thabane does not have to face a no- confidence vote. Through SADC interventions led by Namibian President Hafikupunye Pohamba, Metsing agreed to rescind his deal with the Democratic Congress (DC), if Thabane would move to end the prorogation of Parliament. But Thabane reportedly suspected that this was a ruse and that as soon as he reopened Parliament he would face a no-confidence vote. With Parliament still suspended, LCD planned the demonstration noted above. It was alleged that the police, who support Thabane, were going to arm a political faction to disrupt the demonstration. The army, which is reportedly loyal to Metsing, seized weapons from the po- lice to prevent them from arming a political faction. What’s next? As a result of the peace talks in South Africa, the leaders of the Coalition Government committed to working together to restore political normalcy and law and order, in the Kingdom and issued a joint statement appealing for calm. They agreed on a roadmap toward these goals, to be submitted to the King, with clear timelines for removing the Parliament prorogation. When he initially returned to Lesotho from South Africa on September 1, Thabane pledged to re- open Parliament on September 19. However, on September 8, he indicated that the re-opening would be postponed in order to ascertain who is in charge of the Lesotho army. Thabane insists that Maaparankoe Mahao, whom he appointed, is in charge because he removed Army Commander General, Tlali Kamoli. However, an army spokesperson said Kamoli is still in charge. There were rumors that Kamoli fled with a group of soldiers to the mountains in preparation for war against the government. South African President Jacob Zuma travelled to Lesotho on September 9, 2014, in an effort to defuse tension, and worked with leaders to move up the date of elections, scheduled for 2017, “as soon as possible.” On-line sources 8/30 – 9/8/2014: http://publiceye.co.ls/?p=6192; http://publiceye.co.ls/?p=6101; http://publiceye.co.ls/?p=6098; http://www.bbc.com/news/world- africa-29010132; http://publiceye.co.ls/?p=6863; http://publiceye.co.ls/?p=6878; http://allafrica.com/stories/201409010969.html; http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2014-09/10/c_126968159.htm; http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2014-09/08/c_126962914.htm; http://allafrica.com/stories/201409090739.html Shopping?? Please use Smile.Amazon.com. Be sure to select Friends of Lesotho as the organization. Amazon donates part of your purchase to Friends of Lesotho year round, with no extra charge to the customer, if you use Smile.Amazon.com. So, SMILE while you shop! Third Quarter 2014 Metsoalle ea Lesotho Page 3 Meet Michelle Wilcox, Ed PCV in Sehlabathebe Growing up in the Green Mountain State of Vermont, I thought I knew what mountains were and the agriculture life. When I stepped onto the soils of Lesotho for the first time, I knew I was wrong. My name is Michelle Wilcox and I am a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Lesotho as a Pri- mary English teacher in the remote regions of Sehlabathebe, Qacha’s Nek. After completing the mainstream route of education, I wanted to educate myself on an interna- tional platform, to see the world from another view point, and to explore the field of interna- tional relations. The Peace Corps was that ticket to do so – literally. A first glimpse of Lesotho from a distance and you see these vast mountains full of depth and wonder. As you approach closer, you start to see the finer details; the animals grazing in the fields under the watchful eyes of the herd boys, a cluster of rondavels that make up small vil- lages scattered throughout the mountains, the Basotho wrapped in their colorful blankets Michelle Wilcox. Photo Credit: Michelle’s Host Sister, Ausi Alice which symbolize the essence of who these people are, and the real focus of my service, the children who are running down the mountains playing with their self-made footballs. My primary role as an Education Volunteer includes HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention through programs like Grassroots Soccer and Life Skills education. Other service projects include World Wise Schools and one in its very beginning stages that promotes tourism and skill-building for youth through handicrafts. One word that could describe Lesotho is ‘potential’. And potential is something you can work with. Lesotho’s natural resources of water, sun, and wind have energy just waiting to be tapped. Leso- tho also has scenes that don’t make sense to modern eyes. Such as herd boys texting on their cell-phones while riding donkeys, or areas that have paved roads with vehicles, but no electricity or run- ning water. Nevertheless, the Basotho are welcoming and for the most part quite at peace with the world. Lesotho is also a country Michelle with Standard 2 pupils, singing in English about days of the week. where a lens eye cannot do justice to the imagery captured by the Photo Credit: Peace Corps Lesotho naked eye. In terms of international development, I am inexperienced. But I am glad to learn about it on a hands-on level and can see how international development truly works on front lines. A chal- lenge and a success is that Peace Corps works at the grassroots, community level. With Africa being a focus for projects supported by many non-profit organizations and corporate entities, sustainability and self-sufficiency can be difficult to implement or to demonstrate to those who expect results.
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