Lesotho: Voices Distant but Clear An Exhibition Proposal

Kenneth Tucceri

A Capstone in the Field of Museum Studies for the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies

Harvard University Extension School

March 2021

Author’s Statement

Nna ke Sir Neo Nkune. Ke lutse Ha Nkune le batho ba Lesotho, kapa Basotho, likhoeli tse 27. Ke ne ke Moithaopi oa Peace Corps. “I am Sir Neo Nkune. I lived in Ha Nkune with the people of

Lesotho, or Basotho, for 27 months. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer.” While living in the rural, mountainous district of Thaba Tseka in the Kingdom of Lesotho, teaching at a small school—Ha

Makōkō Primary School—immersion was paramount to the achievement of my goals.

Integration is part of the Peace Corps ethos. Keep an open mind to cultural differences and never stop rising every morning with the ambition to pursue knowledge. That is how I tried to live every day, with successes and failures; confusions and clarities; soaring optimism and humbling self-doubt. Succeeding in cross-cultural competency is a difficult task. It takes resilience and an enduring curiosity. It takes patience and effort. The lows are low. But the highs are elating, gratifying, and rewarding.

As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, effectively communicating the many impactful experiences I encountered has been a challenge since returning back to the U.S. in January 2020.

It is difficult to explain the many dynamic moments. Experiences such as riding in an overcrowded taxi as the only non-African. Or eating ceremonial food—and sipping homemade beer—with members of the community that you have grown to know deeply. Moments in the classroom when you realize you have effectively provided clarity to one of the many illogical elements of the English language. And, of course, casually sharing stories and memories with the people of Lesotho, or Basotho, as they affectionately refer to themselves as. My failing efforts to successfully communicate these memories are a source of frustration. The recounting of my recollections—personal, beautiful, permanent in my mind—come out flat and underwhelming when I attempt to recreate them.

i Born from this frustration is the idea to research methodologies that are effective in representing a narrative-driven, sensory-laden experience to individuals who are not able to spend 27 months immersed in a foreign culture. The result is an exhibition proposal titled

“Lesotho: Voices Distant but Clear.” The proposal will be supported by the 27 months of Peace

Corps service in Lesotho from September 2017 to November 2019. In doing so, similar tools that the Peace Corps Volunteer is encouraged to involve in their experiences—immersion, integration, collaboration, and an unwavering curiosity—will be considered to assist in creating an authentic exhibition framework for Lesotho’s narratives and histories. Through this, if successful, at the conclusion of their experience, the visitor can confidently say: Ee, ke tseba

Lesotho! “Yes, I know Lesotho!”

I would like to thank the community of Ha Nkune, in Lesotho, and the surrounding villages in Thaba Tseka, for providing me with the most dynamic and memorable two years of my life. I thank the leadership of the 65th Public Affairs Detachment, Massachusetts Army

National Guard, for allowing me to take leave of my military responsibilities to complete my

Peace Corps service, and their continued support. I thank Peter Sollogub who provided me with valuable guidance while completing this research. Lastly, I thank Kathy Burton Jones for her support and patience in assisting me in reacclimating into academia, after my time abroad, and for her invaluable assistance throughout the museum studies degree program.

ii

Dedicated to the Memory of

Malebajoa Marriam Mokoaleli

23 July 1974 - 2 October 2020

A colleague, counterpart, teacher, and friend

Robala ka Khotso Motsoalle oa Ka

iii Table of Contents

Author’s Statement ...... i

List of Figures ...... v

Introduction ...... 1

The Exhibition Overview ...... 2

Visitor Engagement ...... 2

The Big Idea ...... 9

Collaboration...... 11

Goals ...... 16

Performance Objectives ...... 30

Conclusion ...... 41

Appendix A ...... 45

Appendix B ...... 48

Works Cited ...... 58

iv

List of Figures

Fig. 1. Conceptual Floor Plan ...... 47

Fig. 2. Ha Baroana Cave Painting ...... 48

Fig. 3. Lesotho Physical Map ...... 49

Fig. 4. Hat ...... 50

Fig. 5. Flag of Lesotho ...... 51

Fig. 6. Coin ...... 52

Fig. 7. Rondavel ...... 53

Fig. 8. Aloe Polyphylla ...... 54

Fig. 9. The Spiral Aloe ...... 55

Fig. 10. Kharetsa ...... 56

Fig. 11. Moshoeshoe I ...... 57

v

Introduction

The purpose of this research is to create a museum exhibition proposal featuring the culture of

Lesotho. Many museum goers may not have the opportunity to travel or live abroad and be immersed in a foreign culture with core differences to their own way of life. Their interactions and information on distant cultures may be, if firsthand, brief and tourist centric. These experiences can do little to challenge biases, stigmas, and confusion in interpreting foreign cultural behaviors. Similar errors of cultural interpretation can also be found in the museum experience. Contemporarily, museums are increasing their efforts to address these biases in different ways. Danielle Rice, the former executive director of the Delaware Art Museum, states,

“Museum educators can play an active role in contradicting what anthropologists call

‘phenomenal absolutism,’ the tendency most people have to assume that everyone else sees and thinks exactly the same way they do” (“The Cross-Cultural Mediator” 41). This exhibition proposal will pursue a framework to overcome cultural subjectivity and address institutional methodologies that lack inclusion and collaboration. The focus of this approach suggests methods that prioritize first-person narratives to create original primary-source information for responsible and authentic cultural representation in an immersive learning environment. In pursuing such methods, the desired result is to present background research and techniques to effectively exhibit foreign cultures and their distinct narratives while mitigating behaviors that can misrepresent the subject culture—in this instance, southern Africa’s Kingdom of Lesotho.

1

The Exhibition Overview

Visitor Engagement

Those who travel can be searching for something to awaken their emotions—an object or interaction that evokes a ritualistic feeling—within an authentic experience. Considering this intent in tourism, anthropologist Nelson Graburn states, “tourism involves for the participants a separation from normal ‘instrumental’ life and the business of making a living, and offers entry into another kind of moral state in which mental, expressive, and cultural needs come to the fore.” Graburn speaks of modal tourism (routine vacations) and rite-of-passage tourism

(significant of major life changes; often prolonged). According to Graburn, the latter form of tourism can be interpreted as a search for authenticity (“The Anthropology of Tourism” 11-13).

In describing the search for authentic intentions in tourism, sociologist Ning Wang uses the term intra-personal authenticity, or self-making, stating that “individuals cannot realize their authentic selves in everyday life” so they turn to tourism and adventure for authenticity and truth (363).

Supporting this, in the words of the English writer Samuel Johnson, “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are” (“Imagination and Reality”). In this, the tourist is seeking something real, primary, and uncompromised by interpretation. A true and immersive experience that challenges their biases and can profoundly influence their life and outlook.

Seeking these authentic, primary-source experiences is a motive for the museum goer as well. Regarding authenticity in a museum context, Dr. Laura N.K. Van Broekhoven, the director of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England, states:

While the tourist industry creates opportunities for individuals to encounter their

authentic selves, ethnographic museums are in the business of creating opportunities for

2 their visitors to encounter authentic (or authenticated) objects placed in a context of

staged authenticity within a heterotopic space. (Geurds 159)

This staged authenticity for museum objects can extend to immersive museum components designed to engage the visitor in creative ways to assist the visitor in understanding concepts of culture and history. The National Museum of African American History and Culture’s interactive component “Follow the Green Book” is an example of an exhibit that provides an authentic perspective. The component allows the visitor to take part in travel stories and experiences related to the Green Book, a wayfinding guide used by African Americans during the Jim Crow era to help them identify friendly businesses. The component places the participant of this exhibit behind the steering wheel of a replica 1949 Buick sedan dashboard. On a screen, formed like the windshield, creating a street-view simulation, stories of the Green Book are presented.

As the participant navigates the component, differing situations and stories are encountered, emulating the first-person experience of the segregation-era traveler. This approach creates immersion and empathy as the visitor travels through U.S. cities encountering problems, and finding solutions, that were possible to an African American traveler. The participatory disposition of the museum visitor, in how they are guided to interact with the exhibition, enables them to gain authentic understandings of the experience and helps them to see things are they truly were (“National Museum of African American History”).

Like “Follow the Green Book” the recommended methods of this exhibition proposal intend to promote an atmosphere equipped to challenge difficult biases by prioritizing authenticity and first-person information like the rite-of-passage tourist. While “Follow the

Green Book” illustrates the participatory framework the proposal intends to mimic, the following exhibition is an example on the critical priority of presenting authentic representation. New

3 York’s Metropolitan Museum’s exhibition “African American Portraits: Photographs From the

1940s and 1950s,” an exhibition of photographs which ran from June 26 to November 6, 2018, highlights the empowerment this proposal strives to represent. In a review of the Metropolitan

Museum’s exhibition, Allie Spensley of The Wall Street Journal wrote:

This connection between self-representation and self-empowerment is the central (and

compelling) argument that the photographs are meant to support. The exhibition was

inspired in part by Frederick Douglass’s 1861 lecture “Pictures and Progress.” As the

wall text explains, Douglass—believed to have been the most photographed American in

the 19th century … urged his listeners to “make ourselves objective to ourselves,”

because without honest self-representation there could be no freedom. Primed by

Douglass's words, we can see how these images push against the airless weight of

stereotype, confronting viewers with the individuality of their black subjects and

reshaping a shared identity. …

The more complete Frederick Douglass quote referenced above is, “[The] highest attainments of human excellence arise out of the power that we possess of making ourselves objective to ourselves” (Martin Jr. 171). For Basotho to properly represent themselves within the museum framework, the inclusion of self-empowerment and the resulting candid representation will enable Basotho to authentically present their voices and narratives.

From the correct representation of Basotho, the visitor can appropriately encounter presented narratives within immersive settings. As a result, visitors can achieve the desired objective freedom necessary to experience the exhibition’s content with a natural competence. In fostering this desired environment, the visitor can share the emotions—and thus, the benefits— similar to the experience seeker or modal tourist. Anthropologist Victor Turner speaks of an

4 achieved mind state he terms as communitas, in which tourists and experience seekers possess an effective state of objectivity. Communitas occurs when a person, contextually, feels free to break from their normal social structures. From this state of being, they are able to communicate and interact with people with an unrestricted objectivity. During communitas hierarchies can wane, and the lack of normative roles can increase a person’s immediacy to play or innovate.

Loosening these restrictions can create a paradigm of antistructure in which people can embrace their individuality outside of societies rigid social structures (46).

In an environment that considers authenticity for the visitor, through an objective presentation of Lesotho, bridging the gaps of cultures in a museum context can manifest through a framework that promotes societal antistructure. With these methods of visitor engagement— considering the visitor as seekers of authenticity—the presentation of information will also remain consistent to that of the genuine tourist experience. For this to be done, primary-source information would be gathered and used to ensure proper and effective self-representation. To encourage this, Basotho would be the exhibition’s virtual tour guide, or docent, to inspire the museum goer by using the power of the first-person perspective. Interviews and footage obtained for such an exhibition would be curated to offer the visitor an opportunity to interact with the stories of Basotho by Basotho. Rice, in support of this approach, observes:

Teaching is only as good as the learning that it inspires. An effective docent is not judged

by the information she is able to master, but rather by her ability to inspire her audience

to understand what she is communicating … Traditional tours may need to be examined

and revised so that a more inclusive, more multi-cultural focus can be introduced.

(“The Hidden Theme”)

5 Concerning the power of first-person perspective to exhibit authentic narratives, museum educator Leslie Bedford notes that, “Research supports the importance of first person over third”

(106). Bedford continues:

A narrative has to be true to its medium. For exhibition makers, that means engaging all

our senses including the somatic or physical, speaking to our emotions, using the specific

to generate connections to the familiar and universal, and telling us something about

someone we are going to care about. Something happens in the imagination in the face of

a real story; it creates a new one. (64)

Within the exhibition, first-person narratives would be the written, heard, and seen sources of information. The application of the pronouns “I” and “we”— when spoken or written on a label or wall text—will ensure the speaker’s voice remains their own and retains the necessary authentic presentation. Within the framework of empowering the Basotho as the virtual tour guide, the educational experience is designed to be more profound, inspiring, and reverential.

In categorically thinking of museum visitors’ motives, Graburn lists three kinds of experiential needs. These needs are associational (a social event), educational (a pursuit of knowledge), and reverential. In dealing with the culture of Lesotho in a genuine context, the reverential is of special interest. Of the reverential, Graburn declares:

This designates the visitor's need for a personal experience with something higher, more

sacred, and out-of-the-ordinary than home and work are able to supply. Although

museums are public spaces, the experience within them can be a solitary one of

contemplation, meditation, and rest from the cares of the world. The museum may

provide a place of peace and fantasy, where one can be alone with one's thoughts and

6 make of the objects and exhibits what one will. (“The Museum and the Visitor

Experience” 3)

Within the exhibition’s design, through the personability inherent in the first-person perspective, the visitor will be enabled to be receptive to the transfer of emotions Basotho feel about their culture—not exclusively the accumulation of facts. To further this, the rite-of-passage tourist, along with the seeker of the reverential, often aspire to engage in a prolonged undertaking within their host culture; similar to the opportunities of the foreigner on a pilgrimage (or similar journey), or Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV), is afforded. Inspiration from the Peace Corps’ framework can be applied to a museum setting to achieve these ambitions during a museum visit.

According to the Peace Corps:

The Peace Corps is a service opportunity for motivated changemakers to immerse

themselves in a community abroad, working side by side with local leaders to tackle the

most pressing challenges of our generation. (“About”)

While serving in their host nation, the PCV is encouraged to take part in sustainable and informed behaviors within their communities. The Peace Corps addresses this in various ways.

One method is developing the ethos of a global change agent. According to the Peace Corps:

A change agent is someone who generates ideas, promotes new practices, models healthy

behaviors, draws attention to opportunities, and encourages networks to help people

move forward in reaching their goals. Change agents do not impose their ideas on others,

but rather help people see possibilities they might otherwise miss. (“Roles of the

Volunteer in Development” 70)

This proposal is recommending, through the Peace Corps model, methods and considerations for the visitor to have increased success as a museum goer. Within the responsibility and design of

7 the exhibition proposal, this approach must be presented to the visitor to enable the visitor to feel comfortable and successful in this transition.

An additional U.S. entity that addresses cross-cultural communication is the U.S.

Military. One of the U.S. Military’s tools to achieve success in cross-cultural settings is “The

Applied Critical Thinking Handbook,” often referred to as the “Red Team Handbook.” This handbook is used to improve efficacy in diverse cultural settings. According to the handbook, people and organizations often fail in predicable ways when interacting with a foreign culture:

… and that they do so according to their mindsets, biases, and experience, which are

formed in large part by their own culture and context. The sources of these failures are

simple, observable, and lamentably, often repeated. They are also preventable. (1)

In addressing these biases “The Applied Critical Thinking Handbook” states, “We educate people to develop a disposition of curiosity and help them become aware of biases and behavior that prevent them from real positive change in the ways they seek solutions and engage others”

(1). This proposal’s intent is to foster an environment nearer to the immersive experience of a

PCV. In other words, to “make ourselves objective to ourselves” within an integrated environment inspired from primary-source cultural information. From this immersive environment, the ethos of the PCV, or the mindset of an individual on a long-distance journey, can bring out the maximum potential of a museum visit. This approach to visitor engagement will administer the immersive, participatory setting that will set the visitor up for success in building the necessary bridge between differing cultures.

8 The Big Idea

To present the voices of Basotho within an authentic context, a focused statement—or Big

Idea—will be formulated to promote clarity for the visitor experience. The Big Idea will ensure the information about Lesotho’s culture will be relevant and consistent. According to museum professional Beverly Serrell, the Big Idea “provides a thread of meaning, coherence, and weight” to the exhibition plan (Exhibition Labels 12). Museum consultants Polly McKenna-Cress and

Janet A. Kamien state, “The exhibition’s mission statement and Big Idea are used as standards to measure the relevance of individual components. The mission focuses on the topic, visitors, and what the main intention of the exhibition is” (104). Serrell continues:

The big idea guides the development of the exhibit elements and their labels (e.g., for

cases, captions, interactives). This means that each element must have a clearly defined

objective that supports, exemplifies, or illustrates aspects of the big idea. For each exhibit

component, the question, “What’s this got to do with the big idea?” should have a clear

and positive answer. (Exhibition Labels 12)

For this proposal, the Big Idea will summarize the focus of the visitor experience to present a clear and comprehensible presentation of narratives and facts on the culture of Lesotho.

The Big Idea of this exhibition proposal is: To exhibit stories and interactives—designed from primary-source information—for a museum visitor to be immersed in an empowering cultural experience. While using the intent of this statement in every goal and performance objective of the exhibition proposal, the Big Idea will function as an assurance that the experience will be accessible to comprehend. Regarding exhibitions that lack the clarity the Big

Idea offers, Serrell states:

9 Exhibitions that lack a big idea are very common. And they show it because they are

overwhelming, confusing, intimidating, and too complex. There are too many labels, and

the texts do not relate to the objects. The labels contain too many different ideas that do

not clearly relate to each other. They are hard to grasp. (Exhibition Labels 13)

The consistency the Big Idea provides will create an experience that will foster objectivity and allow the visitor to feel both competent and confident in their ability to learn about Lesotho directly from Basotho. From a framework that promotes clarity, a resulting freedom will enable the visitor to feel confident in the experience.

To fully present the empowering cultural experience the Big Idea promotes, the visitor will have to feel a sense of transmission, or change, within this confidence. The proposal, with the guidance of the Big Idea, must deliberately engage the reverential to remove the visitor from their everyday lives and thought habits. Henry John Drewal’s multisensorial exhibition titled

“Creating Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas” is an existing example that connects to this notion. In developing the exhibition, Drewal employed what he coined

“body-mind work.” He describes it by stating, “In this kind of work, one no longer aspires to achieve an impossible ‘distanced objectivity.’ Rather one works as an active participant, using all of one’s senses to open multiple, sensory paths to knowledge and understanding” (49).

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes this experiential state as flow. Similar to the above, Csikszentmihalyi’s flow state describes a condition of holistic involvement. He states the following about the effects of flow:

It is the state in which action follows upon action according to an internal logic which

seems to need no conscious intervention on our part. We experience it as a unified

flowing from one moment to the next, in which we feel in control of our actions, and in

10 which there is little distinction between self and environment; between stimulus and

response; or between past, present, and future. (136, 137)

The Big Idea will serve to inspire the engagement of the visitor by encouraging a confident and curious disposition derived from the context’s clarity. Additionally, the Big Idea will encourage the collaboration with Basotho that would be necessary to successfully plan and produce an immersive experience that fosters “body-mind work” and “flow” mentalities.

Collaboration

For this exhibition proposal, prioritizing collaboration is unequivocal. McKenna-Cress and

Kamien define collaboration as “the intersection of thoughts and ideas from varying points of view to create multifaceted narratives and diverse experiences for a public audience” (2). The lack of collaboration can lead exhibitions into predictable mistakes. Referencing the importance of collaborating with people from a featured culture, Rice states:

People reflect the cultural values and habits of the environment in which they were born

and raised. Museums, created by many individuals working together over time, manifest

the cultural assumptions and resources of their creators regardless of the culture or

cultures that they attempt to represent. (“The Hidden Theme”)

The Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle, Washington, offers an impactful example in collaboration. The institution utilizes community members to co-create exhibitions by involving them in the development process and provides the community with the opportunity to tell the stories that they value. Ron Chew, the former director of the Wing Luke Asian Museum, stated the following about the institution: “We are not about stuff and projects but about relationships and stories that rise up from the community. The story is more important than the stuff. The museum is more a place of dialogue than stated facts” (Simon 265, 266). “Lesotho: Voices

11 Distant but Clear” will adhere to this approach in the collaborative scheme of gathering oral dialogues and histories featured throughout the exhibition. By involving the community—in this instance, Basotho—the exhibition will be outfitted to effectively represent special and specific narratives. Oral historian Barbara Sommer states the following in support of community collaboration:

Cast a wide net to include community. Make sure all appropriate community members

are involved in your project and have an opportunity to make a contribution. Community

members know and care the most about the project at hand, and the more closely they are

involved in every aspect of it, the more successful it will be. (30)

This prioritization of community engagement will ensure the appropriate stakeholders are represented for the appropriate stories. Considering collaboration to reduce biases, and represent the authentic voices of the experts of given themes, museum consultant Amy Hollander states:

I propose we use what I call Collaborative Storytelling, to overcome our cultural biases

and blind spots. Whether we are designing an exhibit, a program, or a performance, we

need to bring other voices to the table. We need to enlist stakeholders in the earliest

phases of our content development—not just experts in the field—but also members of

the public. These can be people who have a part in the story we’re telling, or they can

represent voices from the audience we are hoping to reach. Together we can grapple with

the main theme that underlines our efforts … the Big Idea.

In the spirit of collaborative storytelling, museum and cultural institutions engage the voices of individuals who have primary-source knowledge of events to present powerful first-person narratives. An example of this is the National Park Service’s Manzanar Oral History Project. The project preserves more than 640 oral history interviews of Japanese American incarnation stories

12 during World War II. Individuals interested in seeing and hearing the first-person accounts of this event can view them online (“Manzanar Oral History Project”). Not only does the site act as an accessible repository for the interviews, it is utilized for its primary-source information for museum professionals. “Exhibit designers use information from these oral histories in exhibit development. The exhibit panel on ‘Absent Parents, Broken Families’ illustrates how designers draw from some of the oral history gems, as they describe the recorded interviews, to bring human stories into the interpretation of the history of this Japanese internment camp” (Sommer

37).

The consideration of first-person interviews as the source of information is consistent with the current efforts of many cultural institutions to decolonize their practices. In decolonizing museums, institutions are ensuring the appropriate stakeholders of the information and objects are involved in the process and their voices are heard. To allow visitors to be immersed in an empowering cultural experience, a postcolonial representation of a culture must be achieved. The process of decolonization is defined in American Alliance of Museum’s “TrendsWatch 2019” as “the long, slow, painful, and imperfect process of undoing some of the damage inflicted by colonial practices that remain deeply embedded in our culture, politics, and economies” (“TrendsWatch

2019”). Striving to create a proper context featuring Basotho narratives, the ethos of decolonization would serve to increase the information’s authenticity and avoid the dangers of misrepresenting Basotho due to biases within the exhibition plan. Author Elisa Shoenberger states, “Museums are taking on this important work to try to make their museums reflect the diversity and the voices of the people within their collections and around them.” Referencing the efforts necessary to decolonize, Shoenberger remarks:

13 It’s not just about inviting indigenous and other marginalized people into the museum to

help the institution improve its exhibitions; it’s an overhauling the entire system.

Otherwise, museums are merely replicating systems of colonialism, exploiting people of

color for their emotional and intellectual labor within their institutions without a corollary

in respect and power.

Wendy Ng and J’net AyAyQwaYakSheelth, of the Royal Ontario Museum, prioritize decolonization methodologies into their institution’s practices. They argue that using sources of the colonized, not the colonizer, will reveal the true story and present the understanding of how colonization still exists today. They include sentiments similar to the PCV and the ethos of the integrated volunteer and global change agent. Ng and AyAyQwaYakSheelth state, “Commit to the ongoing process of critical self-reflection and awareness of your privilege and power and use your positionality to amplify Indigenous voices and perspectives” (“Decolonize and Indigenize”).

Derived from these decolonization efforts, the museum goer can find a connectedness with

Basotho culture despite the many apparent differences that exist. From this connectedness, similar to immersion of, for instance, a PCV, the promotion of responsibility to enact social change and awareness can be fostered and developed. Supporting this, Ng and AyAyQwaYakSheelth state,

“We are all one. All humanity is connected; therefore, all of us are responsible for dismantling the colonial legacy and building a new future where distinct cultures dictate their own narratives”

(“Decolonize and Indigenize”). Within decolonization, it is argued that institutions can no longer remain impartial. Anthropologist Michael Ames states, “Curation and museum policy can no longer make undisputed claims for the privileges of neutrality and universality. Representation is a political act. Sponsorship is a political act. Curation is a political act” (13). Ames lobbies for the necessity of collaboration to combine complementary skills of those who have the

14 professional expertise and those with the cultural expertise. In this case, this would represent exhibition staff working closely with Basotho. Adhering to these considerations and examples— with Basotho having the control to create their own narratives—will ensure the exhibition proposal’s inclusive priorities and desired results are attained through proper representation.

In the end, these important considerations will achieve the desired context to maximize the narrative’s authenticity. This cross-cultural objective intends to embody successful methodologies of enhancement and inclusion. Adding to this, Van Broekhoven states:

For museums to truly assume their role as instruments of social cohesion, which inspire

global cultural competence, our praxis needs to revolve around facilitating co-creative

knowledge production with stakeholders at the global and local levels, so that together

with our diverse stakeholders we can develop a multitude of authenticated voices.

(Geurds 159)

The efforts of collaboration and decolonization can face difficulties. Yet, to suitably exhibit a culture, these steps must be taken. For Basotho to properly represent their culture, appropriate collaboration is a critical facet of the exhibition proposal’s agenda. In support of this, Ames states, “In the world of knowledge, the sharing of authority does not reduce one's own level of understanding but enhances it” (14). From these collaborative contributions, the appropriate individuals, from Lesotho, would be empowered to provide the cultural information of this exhibition. This post-colonial and collaborative approach embodies the ideal method of properly representing a culture within an authentic experience.

15 Goals

With the collaborative gathering of primary-source information and uniting it within a museum context, the exhibition proposal will apply a list of goals to communicate the Big Idea. The intent of these goals, and their summaries, is to present information the exhibition would need to include in an effective presentation on Basotho culture. In planning for the effective arrangement of information, McKenna-Cress and Kamien state: “What is the most basic information visitors will need to know in order to begin understanding this content?” (74). The goals are listed and defined to increase the efficacy of the visitor experience and to succinctly clarify and codify the pertinent communication objectives within the exhibition proposal. These goals, in connection with the performance objectives, create the proposal’s framework in parts that do not stand alone but function together in concert. Focusing on all of these approaches increases the proposal’s attentiveness to immerse the visitor. Considering the limitations of the exhibition experience compared to an extended cultural journey, carefully selected goals may not always be effective for every visitor. John Falk and Lynn Dierking, authors of The Museum Experience, state, “There is no guarantee that merely adopting a few well-selected goals is the solution; any change in the visitor will be difficult, given the constraints under which museums operate” (131). Yet, using these goals, with the Big Idea, to provide clear informational parameters, will serve to encourage a truthful focus. The value of these goals is to present specific areas of information to feature in a didactic experience that instills confident in the visitor as a learner and explorer of the exhibition space. The goals are listed as distinct informational points of focus to present specific content that would be used as guidance on what to include—and what to omit—within the exhibition.

Shown in Table 1 (see Appendix A) the goals will be represented within the eight informational sections of the proposal’s storyboard.

16

Goal 1: Present facts that aim to run contradictory to visitor assumptions about the continent of

Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho.

The initial goal is for the visitor to obtain an understanding of Lesotho from a historical context.

In staying consistent with the decolonizing museum approach, addressing potential bias is inherent within this goal. To challenge existing preconceptions that westerners have regarding

Africa, it is important to address that Africa is a continent with widely diverse cultures and geographies. An enhancement of this truth is that “Africans are more diverse genetically than the inhabitants of the rest of the world combined, according to a sweeping study that carried researchers into remote valleys and mountaintops to sample the bloodlines of more than 100 distinct populations” (Achenbach). As early man spread across Africa, only a small population left the continent. This specific diaspora of early man that left Africa results in a narrower DNA dynamic for the non-African world. “We also think that non-Africans originate from a small founding population that probably migrated out of East Africa,” according to Dr. Sarah Tishkoff, the lead researcher of a team of international researchers studying African genetic diversity

(Spain). Early in the exhibition, it will be important to highlight misconceptions potentially connected with Lesotho (or Africa as a continent) that could compromise the immersive learning experience. To accomplish this, anecdotes and facts that may run contradictory to a visitor’s assumptions will be valuable for the integration of the visitor.

Goal 2: Teach visitors about San cave paintings, their history, and meaning.

The San and Khoi, known collectively as the Khoisan, are some of the earliest known humans.

Concerning Khoisan presence in modern-day Lesotho, Stephen Gill, a curator with the Morija

17 Museum and Archives in Lesotho, states “For thousands of years, the whole of Southern Africa was populated exclusively by Stone Age hunter-gatherers” (3). Currently, the presence and influence of the San remain today; notably in cave paintings found in various locations in

Lesotho and South Africa. A well-preserved example of San cave paintings is located in Ha

Baroana, Lesotho (see Fig. 2). The paintings of Ha Baroana depict “leopards, lions, elands, blue cranes and guinea fowls, as well as scenes of bushmen life—hunting, dancing, and people in huts. It has been estimated that the paintings were made about 2000 years ago” (Gray). The goal of the cave paintings, similar to the first goal, is to provide historical context to modern-day

Lesotho.

Goal 3: Visitors will be introduced to the Bantu expansion.

The Bantu Expansion refers to the movement of Bantu-speaking people from the grass fields of modern-day Nigeria and Cameroon. As a result of this dispersion, Bantu languages are found in approximately 23 African countries (Bostoen 1, 2). Much of the ancestors of Basotho came from this major migratory event. Nearly 2,000 years ago, people from this diaspora began to reach the area that is now Lesotho. “From about 200 A.D., the first archeological evidence of Iron Age peoples can be found south of the Limpopo” just north of Lesotho (Gill 7). These groups stayed in small clusters near the east coast of modern-day South Africa. The highlands of Lesotho and the drier western portion of South Africa were left relatively undisturbed to the Khoisan nomads.

As the centuries progressed, other Iron Age people continued to migrate south. Estimated to be between AD 900-1200, though the arrival of many small groups happened prior, the Bantu people began to appear in significant numbers (Gill 12).

18 As the Bantu clans began to settle in more of the highlands, or the highveld, the eventual location of Lesotho, they became more and more culturally distinct from their lowland neighbors. Gill explains:

The southern Sotho preferred to build their homesteads on ridges overlooking river

valleys where building materials were close at hand, either wood and reeds … or stone

for corbelled houses. A reliable source of clean water, adequate grazing areas for summer

and winter, fertile soil, and a good vantage point for protection as well as the warmth of

the sun were other important factors. (28, 29)

From the presentation of this important migratory event, this goal provides context for the origins of Basotho and the significance of Lesotho as a mountainous, landlocked country.

Goal 4: Explain the unique distinctions of the geography of Lesotho.

Focused within this goal is to provide the necessary information to teach visitors about Lesotho’s high-altitude topography (see Fig. 3). The Kingdom of Lesotho is a small, landlocked country within its only neighboring country, the Republic of South Africa. Its size is 11,720 square miles with a population of 2.2 million (“Lesotho Country Profile”). “The county’s lowest point of

1,400 meters [4,593 feet] above sea level is the highest low point of any country in the world.”

The countries highest point is Thabana Ntlenyana, 3,482 meters (11,4234 feet) in elevation, which makes it the highest mountain in southern Africa (“Lesotho”). Lesotho’s earliest Bantu settlers used the high altitude to distinguish themselves from other cultures of southern Africa

(Gill 28). This goal represents the presentation of necessary facts the visitor requires to feel knowledgeable about a place and culture. Presenting the geography of a culture relates to the ethos of treating the visitor as an adventure seeker that the exhibition proposal possesses.

19

Goal 5: Visitors will learn about Lifaqane and its impact on Lesotho’s history.

For visitors to understand Lesotho’s history, Lifaqane is a necessary historical event to introduce.

Lifaqane, meaning “scattering,” refers to a significant forced migration due to a variety of political and environmental variables between 1815-1845. These scatterings had an exponential effect as different groups of people became displaced, encountering other groups of people, often bringing with them conflict and the competition for resources (Gill 66). Many of these refugees encountered the southern Sotho clans as they fled violence and upheaval. As they moved into modern-day Lesotho, these fleeing groups “brought war, destruction and new methods organizing society to the highveld. The Sotho were forced to adapt or perish” (Gill 66). From this instability, the founder modern-day Lesotho would emerge: King Moshoeshoe I.

Goal 6: Introduce to the visitor the cultural impact and legacy of King Moshoeshoe I.

For a museum goer seeking to learn about the origins of Lesotho’s culture, a significant goal would be to discover the stories of King Moshoeshoe I—the founder of Basotho nation—and his enduring legacy. Many formative themes in Lesotho’s history are featured within the narratives of Moshoeshoe’s life. The stories of Moshoeshoe are critical to gaining a necessary historical perspective of Lesotho as a nation and culture. According to Gill, “Moshoeshoe’s shadow still looms large a hundred years later over those who, from many different clans and nations, have been accepted and call themselves ‘the people of Moshoeshoe’” (114). Moshoeshoe, born with the name Lepoqo around 1786, spent his early years in what is now northern Lesotho. His youth was filled with relative pastoral peace, learning the ways of his culture; herding animals and eventually attending initiation school, a tradition that still is performed today for post-pubescent

20 boys and girls of Lesotho (Thompson 1-4). “In 1820, at the age of 34, Moshoeshoe moved to

Butha-Buthe Mountain with his followers and began his rule as chief.” Although he was still considered a minor chief at this point, his reputation as a worthy leader was rapidly expanding

(Gill 65). It was during this time Lifaqane began to affect those in the highlands of the Maloti

Mountains. Moshoeshoe realized his current location was not safe from threats of invading people and understood he needed to relocate. In 1824, Moshoeshoe chose to move to Thaba

Bosiu, a mountain fortress to the southwest of his current location. The now storied journey from

Butha-Buthe to Thaba Bosiu took two days (Gill 69). Of the journey, Gill states:

During the two-day journey by foot, Moshoeshoe’s grandfather Peete was captured and

eaten by the cannibals of Rakostoane near Malimong. Cannibalism, which was against all

the customs of the Sotho, had become widespread. (69, 70)

Moshoeshoe’s decision to move to Thaba Bosiu proved to be beneficial. Due to its advantageous location and geography as a stronghold, it gained the prestigious moniker as “the most famous retreat in Southern Africa” (Lye 48). With his ideal high ground, and Lifaqane weakening his competition, he was able to strike alliances with chiefs, and provide safety and regularity to displaced groups. In this manner, while continuously expanding his land beyond Thaba Bosiu,

Moshoeshoe consolidated a large chiefdom (Thompson 46).

At this time, Moshoeshoe began to catch the attention of the Dutch and the British in

Southern Africa. The British ruled the Eastern Cape Colony and, by 1834, recognized

Moshoeshoe “as the sovereign ruler of his nation and a leader of remarkable talent” (Gill 88).

During this period, the Dutch members of the Cape Colony, known as Boer Voortrekkers, or

Afrikaners, unhappy with British governing in the Cape Colony, began to travel inland to colonize the highveld near Basotho territory (Gill 86). To keep a unified sovereignty,

21 Moshoeshoe had to interact with the European powers that began to intermingle with and shape his chieftaincy. Subsequent of this, he began accepting an increased number of Christian missionaries. The French Protestants from the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society (PEMS) began to arrive in June 1833 (Gill 75). The presence of the PEMS was a great help to

Moshoeshoe, as they assisted the Basotho to understand the politics, cultural differences, and ambitions of the British and Dutch. Furthermore, the PEMS mission was able to provide helpful infrastructure and improve education. Regarding the benefits of the PEMS presence, Gill states:

In addition, the schools and churches became centres for the diffusion of literacy,

improved agricultural methods and other important ‘tools’ which Basotho could use

profitably in a region increasingly subject to the commerce, technology and values of

European civilisation. (92, 93)

The Roman Catholic missionaries followed the PEMS, arriving in 1862. They advised

Moshoeshoe that their hierarchy was similar to that of the Basotho chieftainship and were more lenient with traditional Basotho customs in comparison to the PEMS (Thompson 318). To work this competition to his advantage, Moshoeshoe chose to encourage both Protestants and

Catholics into influencing his kingdom. Of the presence of both denominations, Gill states:

The Catholics and Protestants would oppose each other and thus make it easier for him to

control both. Moshoeshoe needed the West but only if its influence could be modified

and kept under control. Otherwise his kingdom was in danger. (102)

With the increase of western influence, Moshoeshoe found himself in a balance between the old traditional world and the new European world. “To preserve the cohesion of his people he kept one foot in the conservative and traditional camp, even while placing the other in the modern and

Christian” (Thompson vii, viii).

22 From Moshoeshoe’s interest in the Catholics and Protestants, both were frequently present during his final days (Thompson 320). While possessing a strong relationship with the

Catholic missionaries and being attributed with saying he wished to be baptized by both denominations in a joint ceremony, it was the Protestants that began to converge at Thaba Bosiu to baptize the king. The original date of the ceremony was March 20, 1870. But due to his poor health, it was advanced to the March 13 (Thompson 321-323). Concerning the last day of

Moshoeshoe’s life, Thompson states:

On the morning of Friday 11 March members of the Protestant congregations were

already wending their way to Thaba Bosiu … groups of Protestants were coming from all

parts of Basutoland to be present at the baptism of the king. But they were too late. At

nine o’clock that morning Moshoeshoe died, as he had lived, in two worlds. (323)

The distinguished character of Moshoeshoe has an enduring and prominent presence in Lesotho.

“… the Basotho cherish the knowledge that in Moshoeshoe there was a rare combination of political wisdom, personal integrity, and respect for human dignity” (Thompson 329).

Goal 7: Present the importance of Thaba Bosiu.

Moshoeshoe’s enduring legacy is inextricably linked to the location of his death—Thaba Bosiu.

In 1824, when Moshoeshoe moved to Thaba Bosiu, he was able to establish his reputation as a major African leader. From the vantage point of Thaba Bosiu “Moshoeshoe grew from an insignificant refugee into the master of an ever-expanding circle of people and lands” (Lye 48).

From this famously advantageous geography, Moshoeshoe was poised to establish his impact and legacy. “At the age of about thirty-eight Moshoeshoe had found his final home. He was to live there for forty-six years, presiding over the consolidation, expansion, and defense of his

23 chiefdom; and when he died, he was buried there (Thompson 44). From Thaba Bosiu,

Moshoeshoe grew the number of his allies by treating people respectfully and by providing a sanctuary from the numerous perils of the time. One of the many examples of this is the story of

Letele. Fleeing enemies, he escaped to Thaba Bosiu, where Moshoeshoe “treated him with respect, made him a senior councillor, and provided him with bohali for a wife.” Like Letele, many Basotho chiefs, Nguni people and other displaced families whose way of life was destroyed by Lifaqane, sought Moshoeshoe’s diplomacy (Thompson 46).

Also, during this time, there were threats which laid bare the advantage of Thaba Bosiu.

One threat was an increased presence of the Boers, which resulted in two wars, called the

Basotho-Boer Wars, over territory and resources. In 1858, the first Basotho-Boer War took place. In their raid, Afrikaners burned villages and much of the Morija Mission. But Basotho raiders countered their initiative, and the stronghold of Thaba Bosiu was too difficult to successfully conquer (Gill 98). In 1865, the second Basotho-Boer War took place. The results of this conflict were costly for Moshoeshoe and the Basotho—as they lost substantial land in the resulting arbitration. Yet, during the war, the Boers were again unsuccessful in raiding Thaba

Bosiu despite fierce and costly efforts (Gill 106). Thaba Bosiu represents an important destination with stories and events critical to the formation of Lesotho as a nation. In presenting these stories, museum visitors will understand many historical circumstances that lead to the development of contemporary Lesotho.

Goal 8: Visitors will learn about the modern culture of Lesotho.

Since the days of King Moshoeshoe I, Lesotho has balanced its traditional ways of life with unavoidable modern influences. “Despite increasing urbanization and the growth of modern

24 institutions and bureaucracy, many Sotho are still interested in building a rural homestead and perpetuating traditional institutions. They also remain loyal to the chieftaincy system” (Guy).

Currently, most Basotho live in rural areas. In 2018, 71.8% were living rurally. Much of rural life is based upon animals and farming. “Village life centres on the fields, the chief’s court, the kraals, the school, the church …” (Guy). In the early stages of colonialism, formally beginning in

1868 as the role of a British protectorate, Lesotho was “Basutoland for the Basotho only.” As such, they were granted some autonomy (Gill 115, 116). Moshoeshoe chose British protection and colonial involvement over the potential rule of the increasing number of white settlers—

Afrikaners in particular. This decision gave Basotho the freedom to live in their many mountain villages and avoid some of the challenges and cultural suppression that black Africans were confronted with in other parts of southern Africa (Thompson 329). With the increasing development of the lowlands, Basotho turned to the eastern highlands of the Maloti Mountains to find land to farm. As Basotho began to migrate higher into the mountains, Lesotho’s population grew to 160,000 in 1880 (Gill 133).

Contemporarily, school and religion play an important role in Lesotho. Primary School education in Lesotho is free up to grade seven (Guy). If a student’s parents or guardian can afford the fees of secondary education, and the student has passed the Primary School Leaving

Certificate Exam, a learner can further their education. Secondary schools provide a comprehensive education designed to prepare students for university, and most students are boarders at secondary school (“Lesotho Secondary Education”). Many schools are administered by the Catholic Church with the supervision of the Ministry of Education. Approximately four- fifths of Basotho are literate, one of the highest literacy rates on the African continent (Guy).

Supported with a partnership between the church and government, health clinics, access to

25 medicine, and other health care needs are available to a high number of Basotho—even those in rural settings (Gill 227, 228). This information will support the section of the exhibition proposal’s storyboard featuring the modern village for visitors to familiarize themselves with the contemporary lives of rural Basotho and the stories related to their lives in villages and small towns.

Goal 9: Visitors will be introduced to the national plant of Lesotho, the spiral aloe.

Aloe polyphylla, or the spiral aloe, (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) is the national plant of Lesotho. In

Sesotho, the plant is called lekharakhare. “The spiral aloe is unique to Lesotho and has not been found growing naturally outside Lesotho’s borders. The plants are distinctive with five ranks of leaves that are coiled in either a left-handed or a right-handed spiral and have been much sought after by plant enthusiasts” (Talukdar 985). The national plant of Lesotho blooms a red-pink flower with occasional yellow. The plant can reach over one meter in diameter and up to 80 cm high (“Spiral Aloe”). Due to the declining numbers, lekharakhare have been declared an endangered species since 1938 (Talukdar 985). To achieve this goal with the visitor engagement philosophy and the Big Idea in mind, live specimen of lekharakhare would be placed within the exhibition for the visitor to view.

Goal 10: Communicate the cultural importance of blankets in Basotho culture.

Like the spiral aloe, blankets, or likobo, will be included, and presented, to show their significance as an ever-present article of clothing worn by Basotho. Likobo come in different designs and colors. Two examples of the different likobo designs are shown in the Kharetsa (see

Fig. 10) and the Moshoeshoe I design (see Fig. 11). Regarding the importance of blankets in

26 Lesotho Andrew Unsworth states, “Basotho blankets are unique. They are a cultural symbol, the brand identity of a nation, but always a practical and useful garment.” The traditional Basotho blanket is made in Randfontein, South Africa, by Aranda Textiles (Unsworth). An example of an

Aranda blanket design highlighting iconography important to Basotho culture is the Kharetsa design. This blanket features a spiral aloe in the center with the Basotho shield, assegai, and knobkerrie club. The Mokorotlo, or woven Basotho hat, is featured in the corners (“Kharetsa”).

The Moshoeshoe design shows four images of Moshoeshoe I based off of the etchings by

Eugène Casalis, a member of the PEMS, from 1833. A Victoria Cross is formed in the center of the blanket with four Basotho shields. The two mountain images are of Qiloane, a mountain visible from Thaba Bosiu (“Moshoeshoe 1”). Tom Kritzinger, the manager of exports and

Basotho at Aranda Textiles (Kritzinger), stated the following about the significance of blankets in Basotho culture:

Blankets are pivotal in their lives. Kobo ke bophelo, the blanket is life. Nothing is more

beautiful. The Basotho people are preoccupied with blankets, from birth right through to

death every phase is marked by blankets. The baby is received in a blanket, when they go

through initiation after puberty there are blankets; when she gets married, the bride is

wrapped in blankets and given to the groom … They are interwoven into the fabric of

society, and the Basotho are blanket people to the bone. (Unsworth)

This goal will ensure the visitor will be presented with critical information necessary to understand the unique cultural importance blankets have in Basotho culture.

27 Goal 11: Visitors will learn about the national symbol of Lesotho, the Mokorotlo.

An example of an object that will showcase the spirit of Basotho and the story of King

Moshoeshoe I is the Basotho hat, or Mokorotlo (see Fig. 4)—the national symbol of Lesotho. On the significance of the iconic Basotho hat, Haretsebe Manwa states, “The Basotho hat is an authentic product, and a popular artifact and memorabilia that is directly identified with Lesotho.

It serves as both a cultural icon of Lesotho and part of the everyday attire of the Basotho people”

(981). Despite appearing decades after Moshoeshoe’s death, the conical grass hat has a strong association with Lesotho’s founder. As a result, the people of Lesotho hold the Basotho hat in high esteem as a national symbol associated with Moshoeshoe I (Manwa 987). Concerning the reverence Basotho possess regarding the Mokorotlo, a Mosotho said, “every time we see that hat on the flag or on the automotive license plates we are reminded of Moshoeshoe” (Rosenberg 37,

38). As the national symbol, the Mokorotlo is located on many items of cultural significance in

Lesotho such as the flag of Lesotho (see Fig. 5), and selected coins (see Fig. 6). The origins of the Basotho hat date back to the early twentieth century when chiefs began to wear an early version of the Mokorotlo. Regarding the early reverence of the Mokorotlo by community leaders,

Haretsebe Manwa states:

Traditional leaders, or chiefs, confirmed that Basotho express much pride in Mokorotlo,

the Basotho hat. The hat is indeed important cultural attire that is worn to show national

identity and pride. Most men would not attend a village gathering (Pitso) without wearing

Mokorotlo. (985)

Also, during this time, while men would walk to the chief’s court, they would adorn the Basotho hat and sing a song known as the Mokorotlo. The songs were usually rooted in chieftainship and of their admiration of Moshoeshoe. Of the Mokorotlo songs, Gladstone Phatela states, “they

28 remind people of what Moshoeshoe did for them, and what he is still doing for them”

(Rosenberg 43). Further connecting the national symbol of Lesotho with Moshoeshoe is the story that the conical design resembles Qiloane, a hill visible from Moshoeshoe’s stronghold of Thaba

Bosiu. Though the shape of Qiloane and the shape of the Mokorotlo share a strong resemblance, it is popularly considered to be a mere coincidence. However, the rumor serves to further the connection of the Mokorotlo’s story with Moshoeshoe, thus strengthening the hat’s status in

Basotho culture (Rosenberg 45, 46).

Beginning in the 1950s, political figures began to wear Mokorotlo at rallies—to capitalize on the symbolic cultural power—increasing their exposure. Around this time designs expanded, and the Basotho hat began to be manufactured for commercial reasons, resulting in its popularity with Lesotho’s general public (Rosenberg 37). By the 1960s, the Mokorotlo served as a national symbol which celebrated Lesotho’s past with its post-protectorate national identity as an independent nation. Basotho hats were worn for formal events and in everyday life. Today, the

Mokorotlo is Lesotho’s most enduring and popular symbol and craft, transforming it into an icon of cultural symbolism beyond a popular fashion item (Rosenberg 49, 50). In prioritizing the inclusion of information on Lesotho’s national symbol in narrative form and object presence, this goal will be designed to equip the visitor with the cultural competence that results from understanding the symbols critical to a culture’s identity.

Goal 12: Communicate the role and importance of music and dance in Basotho culture.

The communication goal regarding music will intend to present the viewer with an understanding of traditional and modern Basotho music. In Sesotho, the term for music is ‘mino, while songs are called lipina. Like western cultures, lipina are based upon a rhythmic framework

29 (Wells 5). Music is a prevalent presence in all areas of Basotho life and culture. Regarding music in Basotho culture, Sindile Moitse states:

Music among the Basotho has not only been perceived as a form of recreation utilized at

the time of leisure, but also as an integral part of their cultural practices whether during

the carrying out of work tasks or ceremonials. In this respect it could be said that music

for the Basotho cannot be viewed as a separate entity, divorced from other aspects of

culture, but rather as an integral part of it. (5)

Like music, according to author Robin E. Wells, “dance is an abiding passion for many Basotho.

It is through dance, especially communal dance, that Basotho most clearly express the participation ethos so vital to amusement and aesthetic satisfaction” (8). Wells continues:

The urge to dance and an appreciation of rhythm is embedded in Sesotho consciousness

from infancy, where the to-and-fro rhythm of walking felt by a child carried upon a

mother’s back penetrates deep into his or her soul. (8)

To support this cultural passion, recordings will be featured of Basotho playing different lipina utilizing traditional instruments. When relevant, dancing will be featured in the section’s dedicated footage and presented information. This space will be open, with objects including traditional instruments to compliment the sights and sounds of the interviews related to music and dance along with material of singing and dancing.

Performance Objectives

To generate an immersive exhibition context, creating opportunities that allow visitors to personalize their experiences will be prioritized within specific performance objectives. In featuring the voices of Lesotho, these objectives will be designed to create a conducive learning

30 environment within a setting that will encourage curiosity and play—behaviors consistent with tourism and cultural integration. Graburn speaks of a play-like mentality found in travel and play. He states this is a result of removing the individual from their accustomed environment and changing the rules and expectations, like in games. On the similarities of travel and play, he states:

While human play may lack the travel element of tourism, it shares the aspects of

removal from the normal rules, or limited duration and unique social relationships, and

the feeling of immersion and intensity … Like tourism, games are rituals which both

differ from and reinforce certain aspects of the structure and the values of everyday life.

(“Anthropology of Tourism” 15)

Dorothy Holland et al., speak of a transformative state in which play brings the participant into a world of open-minded engagement. She states:

Play is the form of activity that proceeds in ignorance of any constitutive condition other

than a cultural and conventional design. It draws upon recognized genres of speech and

activity, but it takes the player beyond the immediate setting. Play happens ‘through’ the

world in which it is observably set. Its real setting is imaginary; it answers only to a

figured world. (236)

Historian Johan Huizinga claims play is older than culture. In introducing his book Homo

Ludens; A Study of the Play-Element in Culture, Huizinga states, “civilization arises and unfolds in and as play.” He continues, “In play there is something ‘at play’ which transcends the immediate needs of life and imparts meaning to the action. All play means something” (1).

Csikszentmihalyi, in describing his flow experience, states that people at play, particularly in games, experience flow while the person is actively engaged in an environment that involves the

31 physical, emotional, or intellectual (137). Objectives predicated in participation and play, within a deliberate context, will ensure the visitor’s experience is exciting, engaging and, ultimately, transformative. These behavioral proclivities reinforce the importance of participatory experiences to convey the emotions and meanings in the collected Basotho narratives.

The foreigner interacting with a distant culture—like the museum goer—may use play- like interactions to help familiarize themselves with the unfamiliar. Examples are games or icebreaker activities that place people in a shared environment. Peace Corps addresses cultural competence by presenting ideas for the PCV to engage with their host country. The Peace Corps suggests to take “charge of your learning process” (32) and offers opportunities for self-directed education such as using indigenous knowledge, learning about the history of the host country, creating a map of the community, gaining local technical knowledge and various ways to introduce oneself to the community they are attempting to integrate in (31). In being a learner, it is significant to understand “your host community is a place of discovery—A place for observing, experiencing, reflecting, drawing conclusions and applying lessons learned. Even what you think you know about your technical field needs to be re-evaluated in the light of your new cultural environment” (32). Connecting these sentiments within the exhibition framework,

Falk and Dierking state:

Exhibits should invite visitors to participate and become intellectually involved, let

visitors touch objects, manipulate machines, smell an environment, and hear sounds …

The combination of intellectual and physical involvement is the essence of an interactive

exhibit and the interactive museum. The interaction between museum and visitor should

not be limited to exhibits but should extend to the gift shop, food service, and all areas of

the museum. (142)

32 To support the aforementioned considerations, objectives that avoid confusion and engage the visitor in play-like situations that are simple to participate with will be proposed.

Exhibition designer and author Nina Simon states, “The best participatory experiences are not wide open. They are scaffolded to help people feel comfortable engaging in the activity. There are many ways to scaffold experiences without prescribing the result” (13). To create an optimal environment, the Exploratorium in San Francisco uses a two-option framework consisting of initial and prolonged engagement for the visitor. Sue Allen and Joshua Gutwill of San

Francisco’s Exploratorium describe the framework as follows:

By initial engagement, we mean the degree to which a visitor can determine how to

approach an exhibit and how to get started. By prolonged engagement, we mean the

degree to which an exhibit offers opportunities for sustained explorations, challenges, and

experimentation. We try to build our interactive exhibits, particularly those that showcase

interesting physical phenomena, to support both initial and prolonged engagement. (19)

In these performance objectives, play, engagement, and an immersive participation are intended to maximize the exhibition experience. Through these objectives, the suggested environments are designed to enhance the visitor experience to authentically present the cultural narratives of

Lesotho. In listing the performance objectives, and explicitly outlining them, the necessary clarity to successfully immerse the visitor can be properly defined.

Performance Objective 1: Visitors will participate within a designed environment to listen to traditional stories of Basotho culture.

In grasping the narratives of Lesotho’s culture, the visitor will be confronted with authentic story experiences representational of Lesotho’s oral histories and traditions. To facilitate this goal, a

33 story space would be created to connect the visitor with culturally significant traditional anecdotes and folktales of Basotho culture. The room will possess an atmosphere of separation from the rest of the exhibition to create the desired intimacy necessary to rouse the emotions of visitors. To create this environment, symbols that are inherent to the human experience would be integrated. One such symbolic element is fire. The use of fire—designed to emulate a campfire within the exhibition—can trigger the storyteller in us all. Fire is relevant due to its history as it connects to storytelling. As an example, approximately 400,00 years ago, the control of fire was comprehended by humans. According to anthropologist Polly Wiessner, “Stories told by firelight put listeners on the same emotional wavelength [and] elicited understanding, trust, and sympathy” (Balter). Wiessner states that fire has had a profound impact on humans and the art of narration:

A study of evening campfire conversations by the Ju/’hoan people of Namibia and

Botswana … suggests that by extending the day, fire allowed people to unleash their

imaginations and tell stories, rather than merely focus on mundane topics … campfires

allowed human ancestors to expand their minds … and also solidified social networks.

(Balter)

To further the mood of connectedness, the night sky will be represented above the room.

The ceiling will be illuminated to accurately depict the stars of the southern hemisphere— specifically from the vantage point of Lesotho. In a possible method of representing this, a technique utilizing hanging light bulbs of differing sizes and brightness will show the constellations of the southern hemisphere. The stars accompanying the fire is a natural fit, as, like fire, stars and the constellations have had an important role in human life for eons. Stars

34 served to pique our curiosity and to even create powerful narratives around them and their mystery. As an example:

… the Khoisan … believe that long ago a time existed when there were no stars in the

heavens, and the sky was very dark. They believe that a young girl, who was lonely,

wanted to be able to visit other people so she threw the embers from a fire into the sky

and created the people who are the stars in the Milky Way. (Curnow 23)

These ageless elements are designed to enhance the efficacy of the culturally important and traditional oral history stories of Basotho. A journey into Lesotho’s deep oral tradition as told by

Basotho.

Performance Objective 2: Visitors will hear stories of Basotho while interacting within an environment emulating a taxi rank in Lesotho.

This performance objective intends to provide a forum for Basotho to reveal their authentic and personal aspirations such as their dreams, passions, likes, dislikes, and ambitions. The participatory experience intends to emulate a taxi rank in Lesotho to showcase a place of play, activity, travel, and conversation. Within the aforementioned considerations, the proposal will bring together ideas that challenge the museum goer in becoming further aware, concerned, and inspired. A safe environment where the visitor will have the opportunity to feel less self- absorbed by confronting challenges in an immersive space; like the right-of-passage tourist; like the PCV. In short, presenting similar reverential benefits of integration without the difficult logistics required by these two groups. Simulating a taxi rank in Lesotho, this participatory experience will allow the viewer to sit in a modeled taxi and interact with varying interviews collected specifically for this exhibition component—having many of the interviews collected

35 from taxi ranks around Lesotho. The design to facilitate this performance objective would be within seats, simulating taxis, open on the side of entry. Each seat will be equipped with a small screen. The stories will be designed to be autobiographical and contemporary. They will be short features that combine edited portions of topic-related interviews including contemporary life, home, school, and family. Concepts such as who they wish to be, and what they want the visitor to know about them and their country. The opportunity to listen to a specific story will be dictated by the visitor, as they will have the option to choose an available topic by interacting with the screen. Sommer states the following about such experiences: “Ideas are exciting, and an interest in asking people to discuss their memories, to learn about a particular time and place in such an intimate and personal way, can be powerful” (34). Other stories will directly address bias. As an example of bias that some may possess regarding Lesotho (and many African nations), is in the fact that in 2016, the Kingdom of Lesotho possessed a 25% HIV / AIDS rate

(“World Health Organization”). This fact can project strong and distracting perceptions, that can form powerful thoughts, compromising the visitor’s objectivity. Interacting with these oral interviews, within the taxi context, is designed to enable the visitor to objectively interact with powerful modern narratives.

Performance Objective 3: Visitors will have the opportunity to enter a rondavel, the traditional home of Basotho.

Consistent with emulating the experience of the modal tourist, or adventure seeker, enabling the visitor to enter a rondavel (see Fig. 7) will create the experience of the tourist traveling through a foreign country and entering a host’s home. Of the houses in Lesotho, J.J. Guy, professor of history, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa states:

36 In the rural villages the walls and doors of many houses are covered with colourful

painted designs. The villages themselves consist of clusters of circular or rectangular one-

room houses solidly built of turf, Kimberley brick (unburned clay), or dressed stone.

Traditionally, the roofs were thatched, but more-modern roofs are made of corrugated

iron, as they are in many other parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

In providing the opportunity to enter a Basotho home, the opportunity to directly experience cultural differences will be offered. An existing example similar to this objective is represented in the Boston Children’s Museum. The Boston Children’s Museum features an exhibit of a

Japanese teahouse. In the exhibit, “Children remove their shoes to enter the space, decorated in traditional fashion with tatami mats on the floor and moveable wall screens. The intent is to help children appreciate cultural differences in a personal way through experience with the original objects” (Alexander 173). This primary-source opportunity will offer the visitor the chance of participating in an intimate experience and gain empathy, cultural understanding, and appreciation of the Basotho lifestyle.

Performance Objective 4: Visitors will have an opportunity to eat Basotho food.

Coupled with the goal relating to music, this will be an opportunity for the visitor to eat traditional Basotho foods. Within the proposed design of the exhibition (see Fig. 1), parked outside the music section, a food truck would be available to order traditional dishes. Placed adjacent to the food truck, offering a further option of a Basotho dining experience, will be a braai stand. Museums and cultural institutions commonly pair exhibitions with related culinary opportunities for the visitor. An example of a notable culinary experience is the Smithsonian’s

National Museum of the American Indian’s Mitsitam Café, featuring foods with connections to

37 American Indians. The café is named after the Delaware and Piscataway people’s word for “let’s eat” (“National Museum of the American Indian”). To address inclusivity, the restaurant and

Executive Chef Richard Hetzler attempt to use ingredients from Native companies (Binkovitz).

While the Mitsitam Café is located within the museum space, the approach of this plan will use a food truck to coincide with the flexibility of this proposal. Food trucks and museums have become an increasingly common combination. One notable example is the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, which hosts an annual food truck fair, featuring food trucks that are created from classic vehicles—connecting the culinary experience to the museum’s content—from which visitors can order their meals and snacks (“Food Truck”).

To address this goal, accompanying the food truck featuring traditional Basotho foods, a

Braai stand’s presence will represent an important element of Lesotho’s, and much of southern

Africa’s, modern culinary traditions. Braai, Afrikaans for barbecue, is a word that represents the food of a braai gathering and the pastime itself. South African resident Jan Scannell, who goes by the moniker “Jan Braai” states, “We have 11 official languages in South Africa, and braai is a recognized word in every single one.” Scannell continues, “It's a great equalizer in South African society. The wealthiest people braai with proper wooden fires and the poorest people braai with proper wooden fires. It's a way of preparing food, but it's also a social gathering” (Byrne).

Basotho foods and braai will offer a competent culinary experience to supplement the gastronomic tourists’ tastes in exploration and the discovery of different foods.

38 Performance Objective 5: Visitors will have the opportunity to enter the museum shop and interact with objects and items related to the exhibition.

This objective will enable visitors to extend their didactic experience while perusing items and objects related to Basotho culture in the exhibition’s shop. As museums evolve to be more visitor focused, and expectations progress, it is crucial to present the full exhibition experience that the visitor anticipates. With these advancements in expectations, a dedicated space for a museum shop is recommended to complete the exhibition experience. Regarding the importance of museum shops, Tanja Komarac et al., state, “The core service of museums (i.e., their collections, objects) no longer suffices; visitors expect and demand much more, seeking a truly unique experience.” As a result, visitors have come to expect the inclusion of restaurants and shops within the museum visit (28). Regarding the value of a shop, Tony Kent states:

The shop is a recreational place but also one which supports informal learning through

the availability of explicitly and implicitly educational merchandise. It performs a

mediating role in which visitors can reflect on their museum visit, and informally

construct or re-construct their learning through personalized interaction with the products

and services. (75)

Recommended in the proposal’s shop would be, when possible, items made by Basotho themselves. This would continue the immersive, post-colonial environment thematically infused in the sections of the proposal. Having hand-crafted Basotho hats available for purchase is the most poignant example of this. Additionally, the presence and sale of Basotho blankets would foster the environment of continuous learning, as an assortment of the different styles and colors could be featured. Small spiral aloe plants could be available to encourage the distribution of this endangered plant and memorialize the exhibition. Plus, other handcrafts made by Basotho would

39 be present to continue the exhibition experience and prolong the interaction with objects related to Lesotho and Basotho culture. Ultimately, the inclusion of available items would be dictated by

Basotho.

Performance Objective 6: Visitors will contribute their opinions of the exhibition by participating in a summative evaluation.

Within the exhibition, an opportunity to provide feedback for the visitor would be essential to measure the success of the exhibition proposal’s framework. A summative evaluation would represent an opportunity for the visitor to reflect upon their learning experience and share their criticisms and praises. McKenna-Cress and Kamien state “summative or remedial evaluation can reveal things that simple nonstructural tweaks can improve for visitor experiences” (295). In

Serrell’s words, “By gathering feedback from exhibit users and comparing that information to the desired outcomes, an evaluation can help you gauge if the exhibit is accomplishing your goals” (“Exhibit Evaluation: What’s the Point”). Giving the visitor the opportunity to voice their opinion, and how the experience aligned with their expectations, is a critical element in understanding if the exhibition functioned as intended. Regarding evaluations, museum professional David Dean states:

To evaluate exhibitions is to question their effectiveness and to learn from their successes

and failures. Learning and growing involve a continual process of evaluating, and

consciously or not, every exhibit planner is involved in evaluating the products. Yet,

deliberate evaluation is often neglected in exhibition planning. In fact, many museums

make no provision for gathering evidence as to whether their exhibition efforts are

40 successful or not. Whether they accomplish their goals is an unknow quantity, subject to

supposition rather than supportable evidence. (91)

A focus of the summative evaluation experience in this exhibition proposal will be the use of the information collected from this objective to improve the proposed exhibition framework.

Maurice Davies and Christian Heath, in their assessment of summative evaluations, state that evaluations can have little impact on the subject exhibition. They argue that this is not due to the assessment itself. Opposed to errors in assessment methodologies, they state:

Rather, the organisational and institutional context in which summative evaluation is

commissioned, undertaken and received can impose contradictory demands and

undermine the opportunity of learning from and applying the findings of evaluation. (57)

In such a framework as the proposal recommends, criticisms and complications within the exhibition could be addressed by remedial edits within the oral presentations and the furtherance of interviews, videos, and the addition of objects that would address shortcomings that may be popularly referenced as a weakness or criticism. In avoiding the lack of effectiveness of the summative evaluation mentioned above, the actions created from visitor feedback would have to be understood as a necessary step in accomplishing the expected standard of the exhibition proposal.

Conclusion

In proposing a museum exhibition featuring the culture of Lesotho, the anticipated outcomes of this museum experience are predicated on the visitor’s achievement of an authentic objectivity.

Through considerations of anthropologists, museum professionals, and organizations such as the

Peace Corps—that deal with cross-cultural literacy—these viewpoints can support an engaging

41 and inspiring exhibition experience fostering such an objectivity. To ensure focus and in dealing with the limitations of the static museum context—compared to a dynamic journey, trip, or adventure—specific goals that are able to guide the experience to success are crucial. Within the listed goals, and their summaries of information, it is expected, through the proposed visitor considerations and performance objectives, to create a learning environment where a visitor can competently learn about Basotho culture. The primary objective is not to create an elaborate framework with ostentatious presentations that reduce the authenticity of the subject matter. The intent is to propose methodologies that support an environment that can distinctly represent the culture and the voices that, perhaps, would be misrepresented or otherwise unheard. To do this, the context requires the true representation of Basotho people to take the visitor to the core of the culture’s narrative. This will result in an experience that reflects an authentic interpretation.

Given a visitor’s inherent subjectivity, interpretation can be challenging. Anthropologist Clifford

Geertz, discussing the importance of the interpretation of cultures, states:

A good interpretation of anything—a poem, a person, a history, a ritual, an institution, a

society—takes us into the heart of that of which it is interpretation. When it does not do

that, but leads us somewhere else—into an admiration of its own elegance, of its author’s

cleverness, or of the beauties of Euclidean order—it may have its intrinsic charms; but

something else than what the task at hand … calls for. (20)

To deal with this potential blunder, Basotho would be prominent collaborators throughout the exhibition process. Primary-source information created from this collaboration would increase the authenticity of the information and aid the visitor’s ability to interpret Basotho culture. This method would present a truer representation and reduce the errs of interpretation.

42 Daniel J. Boorstin, in the book The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America, speaks of museums centralizing collections to allow many people to experience otherwise distant objects. Regarding this approach, he states, “Beautiful objects taken from scores of princely residences, are crowded together for public display in the grandest of defunct palaces” (132).

Boorstin continues, “… to remove the tapestries designed for wall-covering in remote mansions and hunting lodges, and spread them in the halls of centrally located museums—this was a great convenience” (133). But this convenience, Boorstin argues, represents an inherent disservice to the visitor. In offering a chance for the masses to see something outside of its intended environment, something becomes lost. He adds:

All these things were being removed from their context. In a sense therefore, they were

all being misrepresented. Perhaps more was gained in the quantity of people who could

see them at all than was lost in the quality of the experience. That is not the question. The

effect on experience is plain and undeniable. (133)

Within a museum context, Boorstin states, “The impression of individual works of art or of a country’s past culture as a whole, whenever it is formed from museum visits, is inevitably factitious” (134). Geertz speaks of this same effect in writing about culture. He states:

In short, anthropological writings are themselves interpretations, and second and third

order ones to boot. (By definition, only a “native” makes first order ones: it’s his culture.)

They are, thus, fictions; fictions, in the sense that they are “something made,” “something

fashioned”—the original meaning of fictiō—not that they are false, unfactual, or merely

“as if” thought experiments. (17)

Given these considerations, the museum experience proposed in “Lesotho: Voices

Distant but Clear” faces stubborn realities and will inevitably fall short of the actual experience

43 of an extended stay in Lesotho. In critiquing this dilemma, Boorstin states “most museums have this unreal, misrepresentative character” (135). With this understanding, the proposal intends to represent the optimal cultural alternative. An experience where Basotho possess the authority of the narratives and meanings of their culture through their own voices. However distant they are from the exhibition; the proposed context will enable their voices to be represented and heard.

For the visitor, this should embody an immersive exhibition experience. If the facilitation of this can be provided within an exhibition, and a visitor can walk away from the experience feeling an authentic connectedness to Basotho people, through the exhibition’s framework, then the exhibition proposal is capable of achieving success. An exhibition can offer genuine cultural experiences when primary-source, first-person narratives are the driving force. Lesotho, holistically, cannot simply be brought to a museum visitor. Yet the voices of the culture, presented in an immersive and collaborative context, can offer a powerful and impactful alternative.

44

Appendix A

Table 1 represents the recommended storyboard for the exhibition proposal. This table showcases the eight sections of the proposal, with their respective subthemes, and highlights the content of each section. Figure 1 illustrates the conceptual floorplan, a possible layout that would support the exhibition proposal. The proposed design utilizes two shipping containers to create a mobile museum exhibition with moveable roofing over the exhibition area.

Table 1

Exhibition Proposal Storyboard

GOALS /

AREA / SUBTHEME CONTENT PERFORMANCE

OBJECTIVES

Section 1: Orientation Orientation film and interviews featuring Goal 1 Film history and preliminary information about Basotho culture

Section 2: Welcome to Images of San cave paintings, map of Goal 2 Lesotho Lesotho, select historical objects, interviews Goal 3 Subtheme: San Cave on Bantu expansion Goal 4 Paintings Goal 5

Section 3: King Basotho hat, coat of arms, flag, map of Thaba Goal 6 Moshoeshoe I Bosiu, objects relating to Moshoeshoe, Goal 7 interviews on Moshoeshoe’s life and legacy Goal 11

Section 4: Modern Objects representative of modern village, a Goal 8 Village rondavel, Basotho blankets, spiral aloe, Goal 9 Goal 10

45 Subthemes: Blankets, interview featuring elements of rural life in Performance Spiral Aloe, Rondavel Lesotho Objective 3

Section 5: Story Room Fire and southern hemisphere constellations Performance above visitor featuring interviews of Basotho Objective 1 recounting stories of cultural importance

Section 6: Taxi Three interactive taxis for visitors to enter Performance Experience and hear stories of contemporary Basotho and Objective 2 access to other information on Lesotho

Section 7: Food and Traditional musical instruments and objects Goal 12 Music representational of and relating to food and Performance Subthemes: Food Truck, diet. A food truck and braai stand for visitors Objective 4 Braai Stand, Evaluation to be culinary tourists. Music and interviews Performance about music on section’s film, and a Objective 6 summative evaluation space

Section 8: Museum Shop A dedicated space for visitors to buy Basotho Performance hats, Basotho blankets, spiral aloe seedlings, Objective 5 books, clothes, and other gift shop items

46

Fig. 1. Conceptual Floor Plan

47

Appendix B

Fig. 2. Ha Baroana Cave Painting. World Pilgrimage Guide, sacredsites.com/africa/lesotho/ ha_baroana_cave_paintings.html. Accessed 18 July 2020.

48

Fig. 3. Lesotho Physical Map. Freeworldmaps.net, www.freeworldmaps.net/africa/Lesotho/ map.html. Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.

49

Fig. 4. Hat. The British Museum, www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_2011-2030-2.

Accessed 14 Sept. 2020.

50

Fig. 5. Flag of Lesotho. Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Lesotho. Accessed 8 Oct.

2020.

51

Fig. 6. Coin. The British Museum, www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_2001-0206-230.

Accessed 13 Sept. 2020.

52

Fig. 7. Rondavel, Ha Nkune, Thaba Tseka, Lesotho. Kenneth Tucceri, Personal photograph. 3

Sept. 2019.

53

Fig. 8. Aloe Polyphylla. British Cactus and Succulent Society. Pinterest, www.pinterest.com

.mx/pin/466544842643861340/?nic_v2=1a1aw9KP6. Accessed 28 Sept. 2020.

54

Fig. 9. The Spiral Aloe. Succulent City, succulentcity.com/twisted-succulent-spiral-aloe- polyphylla. Accessed 28 Sept. 2020.

55

Fig. 10. Kharetsa. The British Museum, www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_2012-2018-

6. Accessed 2 Sept. 2020.

56

Fig. 11. Moshoeshoe I. The British Museum, www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_2013-

2009-1. Accessed 2 Sept. 2020.

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