By Matṧeliso Phulane
Lesotho will join the rest of the world in celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, and will do so by hosting a concert dubbed ‘Mokete oa Mahipi’ at Victoria Hotel Poolside on December 2, 2023.
In an interview with theReporter, Katleho Mohapi, an organiser, coordinator, blogger and speaker for Mokete oa Mahipi said the event was inspired by the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop that is currently celebrated globally. This is a momentous milestone in the history of this influential and important culture, he explained.
“We thought why can’t Lesotho for the first time be part of this celebration, especially since we have consistent Hip-Hop enthusiasts who are always striving to keep the culture alive through some of its elements that make up this culture, like emceeing, graffiti art and deejaying.
“I got the privilege to be part of this event due to being a founder and creator for a biggest online Hip-Hop music platform called Strictly Lesotho Music that empowers local music creative,” Mohapi said.
He noted that they want to celebrate the past, present, and future of Hip-Hop in Lesotho by empowering local creatives who have been part and are still part of the culture.
“In Hip-Hop there is a supreme law of self-governance, also known as H-LAW which is an acronym for Health, Love, Awareness and Wealth.
“Everyone visiting the event will notice that this festival is designed to be an immersive and inclusive experience, where attendees can feel free to express and represent themselves as Hip-Hop lovers and connect with others as well.
“It will be our first time staging an event like this where Hip-Hop enthusiasts will be in one space celebrating the genre. This will be an opportunity for us to network and finally get to know each other, while the fans of Hip-Hop will finally get introduced to a lot of creatives in this culture.”
Mohapi added that revellers should also expect to hear a diverse range of Hip-Hop music, from old-school to new school with other sub-genres under Hip-Hop music.
“We wanted to create a diverse and authentic line-up that represented the best of Hip-Hop, both past and present, both overrated and underrated. We considered a variety of factors when selecting the artists, including talent, uniqueness, passion, popularity, and overall impact on the Hip-Hop community.
“We also considered diversity in terms of gender, era of activity, and geographical representation which means all districts in Lesotho needed one artist representing them since we also wanted to make sure that the line-up was inclusive and representative of the full spectrum of Hip-Hop culture in Lesotho,” Mohapi indicated.
He, however, stated that due to a huge number of qualifying performers, they have planned to have two stages, where young up-and-coming artists and deejays can showcase their talents. These were fairly selected through voting since there were 50 of them who submitted their catalogues before 20 were finally selected as winners.
“Hip-Hop is a way of life, not a foreign culture. We should all note that it originated in Africa but was popularised in America by an African male called ‘African Bambatta’ who visited South Bronx, New York where the Hip-Hop movement started.
“So, this will open everyone’s eyes to the fact that Africa is the cradle of Hip-hop, hence ‘Mokete oa Mahipi’ and all other Hip-Hop oriented movements in Lesotho. These include Lesotho Hip-Hop Incorporated, Strictly Lesotho Music platform, Sdwahlo, SHIPA, Wear Local Fridays, The Hotspot Cypher -Lesotho and others. They unapologetically embrace Hip-Hop through fashion, entrepreneurship, Hip-Hop blogging, music creation, cypher curations, documenting its activities and conferences,” Mohapi added.
