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Roots of wisdom: Dr TK Mopeli’s legacy unites scholarship and community

10 October 2025 | Story Precious Shamase | Photo MAFF (Music Art, Food and Fashion) Photography

History was made at the University of the Free State (UFS) Qwaqwa Campus with the groundbreaking convergence of the Dr TK Mopeli Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) Memorial Lecture and Symposium. This joint inaugural event, held under the compelling theme, Roots of Wisdom: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge in Science and Education: The Legacy of Dr TK Mopeli, served as a powerful platform to bridge the academic sphere with the lived wisdom of local communities.

Core vision: From commemoration to critical engagement

The planning team’s core vision was clear: to create a unifying platform where the scholarship of IKS could meaningfully intersect with the lived experience. Held on 19 September 2025, the combined memorial lecture and symposium moved beyond a mere commemoration of Dr Mopeli's enduring legacy. It aimed to be a critical engagement that actively pushed the boundaries of contemporary discourse.

The theme itself was a call to action. It sought to highlight the resilience, innovation, and relevance of IKS in solving modern problems, ensuring that indigenous perspectives not only survive but actively shape scientific research, educational curricula, and community development. This focus linked the region’s heritage to future possibilities, echoing Dr Mopeli’s own dedication to education and self-reliance.

Wisdom beyond the lecture hall: Inclusive participation

Recognising that indigenous knowledge is deeply rooted in lived experience – as highlighted by keynote speaker Prof Lerato Seleteng-Kose’s presentation on the role of IKS in scientific innovation in Lesotho – the planning team prioritised authentic and inclusive participation. Their strategy deliberately mixed celebrated academics with vital community voices. This involved engaging traditional leaders, community elders, and local IKS practitioners alongside university faculty.

To bridge the gap between abstract discourse and grassroots practice, the event created a space where storytelling, rituals, and oral traditions were given value equal to formal scholarly papers, including the message from Princess Shoeshoe ‘Tsiame’ Mopeli on cultivating self-reliance. Sessions utilised local languages, most notably Sesotho, to ensure that the knowledge holders felt fully represented and heard.

Dr Elias Nyefolo Malete described Dr Mopeli as a humble leader, passionate about the advancement of his people and the preservation of the Basotho nation. in his address on An Ideational Analysis and Integration of African Folktales in Science, Technology, and Education, he further emphasised the need to treat indigenous narratives not as relics, but as dynamic sources of knowledge for education.

The road ahead: Actionable outcomes

The symposium was not designed to be an echo chamber. The planning team identified several specific, measurable deliverables aimed at tracking the long-term impact of the discussions:

Policy Influence: Generating recommendations to be shared with local and national structures to positively influence cultural heritage and education policies.

Curriculum Development: Actively informing the integration of IKS into university curricula across various disciplines, ensuring that future students engage with both the theoretical and applied dimensions of indigenous knowledge.

Community Initiatives: Establishing partnerships to support grassroots-level, community-led projects in areas vital to Dr Mopeli's vision, such as sustainable agriculture, health practices, and cultural preservation.

To ensure that these discussions translate into tangible action, a monitoring framework is being put in place. This includes creating a public repository of all presentations and community contributions and establishing follow-up meetings between the university and community stakeholders.

One of the members of the planning team, Prof Puseletso Mofokeng, concluded, “The 2025 Symposium was a historic moment, transforming the late Dr TK Mopeli's Memorial Lecture into a living, dynamic platform. It reaffirmed that indigenous knowledge is not merely a preserved artefact of the past, but a vital, evolving resource capable of guiding sustainable development and shaping a self-reliant future for the region. The event laid the groundwork for Dr Mopeli’s dream to continue living, not just in memory, but in action, policy, and education.”

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Moshoeshoe's legacy lives on in university's project: City Press - 2 May 2004

2004-10-14

CITY PRESS 2 MAY 2004 P8

NEWS

JOHANNESBURG FINAL

Moshoeshoe's legacy lives on in university's project

MATEFU MOKOENA

DRUMS were beaten and the sounds of traditional songs reverberated through corridors of the University of the Free State (UFS) as Basotho students gathered at the campus over the weekend to launch a project honouring their late great king, Moshoeshoe.

The launch was organised by the Lesotho Students Association and UFS management and was blessed by King Letsie III of Lesotho.

According to UFS rector and vicechancellor, Professor Frederick Fourie, the aim of the project is to make the legacy of Moshoeshoe a living part of the university.

He said the Moshoeshoe project will include a television documentary on his life as well as an anthology of creative writings, including prose and poetry, about him.

A television documentary is already being filmed and will be screened during an international conference at UFS in October.

Fourie said the university, as part of the project, is looking at the possibility of starting an annual Moshoeshoe memorial lecture that will focus on African leadership, nationbuilding and reconciliation.

He said the university would introduce a PhD-level research course into the life and legacy of Moshoeshoe.

The university management has also taken a decision to erect a statue of Moshoeshoe on the campus.

Fourie said the project was launched after the UFS delegation, led by him, met Letsie III.

"He wanted us to ensure the legacy of Moshoeshoe is honoured and treated with the respect he deserves."

His legacy "must live on -- not only for the Basotho, but for all South Africans, black and white, and for the entire African continent", he said.

"Living out such a legacy is indeed a fitting contribution to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) and to the maturing democracy that is being built here in South Africa," said Fourie.

He emphasised Moshoeshoe was and remains a model of African leadership.

Fourie said Moshoeshoe's diplomacy and commitment to peace put him on a par with former president Nelson Mandela as a statesman.

It is Fourie's dream that, through this project, the UFS will be able to give real meaning to words such as reconciliation, respect for the diversity of languages and cultures and the unity that is needed to build a democratic nation.

The Lesotho Students Association secretary, Sofonea Shale, said for an institution like the UFS to honour Moshoeshoe demonstrates that he was a great leader. "For Basotho students, the project is very significant as it clearly defines who we are and what we stand for.

"We believe the research into the legacy of our great king Moshoeshoe will open doors for more research into the life of Basotho in general.

"Africa as a whole can learn from his leadership style," he said.

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