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UFS welcomes Basotho New Year with a visit to Basotho Cultural Village

11 August 2025 | Story Teboho Mositi | Photo Teboho Mositi

The Department of African Languages, in collaboration with the Bosotho Matjhabeng Association on the University of the Free State (UFS) Qwaqwa Campus, celebrated the Basotho New Year vibrantly at the Basotho Cultural Village on 1 August 2025. The event was hosted in partnership with the Free State Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and included participation from various stakeholders committed to preserving and promoting the Basotho heritage.

The Basotho New Year is traditionally celebrated on 1 August, marking an important seasonal transition in the Basotho calendar in August, as it signifies the end of the dry winter season (Mariha) and the beginning of a new agricultural cycle. This period is associated with renewal, growth, and preparation for planting. In line with long-standing customs, the first crops are symbolically offered to God in a sacred ritual (Tlatlamatjholo), expressing gratitude and seeking blessings for a successful harvest season. This year’s celebration centred on the theme of the eight stars (dinaledi) – a vital aspect of Basotho cosmology and identity. Students had the opportunity to gain exposure, deepen their knowledge, and learn about the cultural and historical significance of the different stars and their importance to the Basotho nation. Through traditional performances, storytelling, and educational engagement, the event successfully blended cultural celebration with learning, reinforcing the need to preserve indigenous knowledge for future generations.

Honouring the history of the Basotho

The Basotho New Year is a culturally significant day that celebrates the identity, history, and traditions of the Basotho people. According to Dr Mabohlokoa Khanyetsi, Senior Lecturer in the Department of African Languages, the day serves as a reminder of the importance of cultural knowledge in shaping the future. “A nation that does not know itself will struggle to determine its future,” she said. The New Year is celebrated through various cultural practices, including traditional clothing, food, games, and the sharing of oral history. Dr Khanyetsi explained that historical knowledge is not only valuable for preserving identity, but also for learning from the past to make informed decisions moving forward. She highlighted the traditional use of stars (dinaledi) by the Basotho to guide agricultural activities. The appearance of specific stars signalled the right time to begin ploughing, helping communities prepare for a season of abundance. Crops such as sorghum bicolor played a central role, as they were used to produce staple foods such as porridge, bread, and traditional beer. Dr Khanyetsi also underlines the value of cultural customs and rites of passage, which once marked a bridge to transition from childhood to adulthood. These practices, she argues, helped individuals remain connected to their environment and community. “I have deep respect for those who continue such traditions, as they keep us grounded in who we are as a people,” she concluded.

The founder of the Bosotho Matjhabeng Association, Rethabile Mothabeng, said: “It was truly an eye-opener to engage with researchers and learn how the stars are not just beautiful to look at, but deeply connected to the Basotho calendar, especially when it comes to planting and predicting the weather. What made it even more special was how our team brought that knowledge to life through poetry. It wasn’t just learning, it was a creative journey that we shared together.”

News Archive

“I, too, am an African,” says visiting US drama professor

2013-03-06

Africans are of blood and of soil, says Prof Charles Dumas in his inaugural lecture at the UFS. Speaking on the topic I, too, am an African, Prof Dumas reminisced about his life and experiences on the continent.
Photo: Minette Grove
05 March 2013

Lecture (pdf)

What is an African? Is it those born in Africa, defined in racial and genealogical terms, or those who identifies with the continent in nationality and ancestral location? Did the descendants of enslaved Africans in the US, the Caribbean or Brazil lose their Africaness when their ancestors were put on slave ships to the New World?

These were some of the questions raised by Prof Charles Dumas, visiting senior professor in the Department Drama and Theatre Arts, in his inaugural lecture at the university.

Proclaiming attachment to the continent, Prof Dumas told his audience there are two types of Africans: Africans of the blood and Africans of the soil. In a speech titled, “I, too, am an African,” he stated that he lay claim to his ancestral birthright not because of blood relationship to an identifiable ethnic group or birthright to the continent, but because he earned it.

“I suggest another way that one can be an African, is through trial and struggle to be reborn an African in spirit. It is a ritual journey that may be taken by anyone. For, after all, if we are to believe the anthropologists who tell us that human life as we know it began in the Olduvai Gorge, genetically we are all African in origin.”

Prof Dumas, a senior professor at Penn State University in the USA, took the audience on a journey of his experiences on the continent, starting in 1978 when he first came to South Africa as a legal observer. Noticing the changes between Apartheid and today’s South Africa, he said this generation are committed to learn from each other – and that is the most important, he said.

“With their hopes and aspirations they earnestly desire to live in the new South Africa that we promised them. We must support them in their effort. It is time we stored our old baggage in the closet.”

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