Sunday 1 May 2016

By Luis Norris


Lesotho was settled by the Sotho people sometime in the 16th century, mingling peacefully with the earlier Khoisan whose history can be traced in rock-art in various sites in the mountains. The Basotho were welded into a nation relatively recently by one outstanding leader. Around 1820, Moshoeshoe I, a minor chief of the Bakwena, gathered a following among the tribes who had retreated to the north-western borders of present-day Lesotho to protect themselves against Zulu and Matabele raids.

In 1824 Moshoeshoe moved his people to Thaba-Bosiu, a mountaintop that was even easier to defend. King Moshoeshoe I rose in diplomatic status with his acts of friendship towards his beaten enemies. He provided land and protection to various Sotho peoples and this strengthened the growing Basotho nation. His influence and followers grew from an inflow of refugees and victims of the continuing Mfecane.

Lesotho (formerly Basutoland) was constituted as a native state under British protection by a treaty signed with the native chief Moshoeshoe in 1843. It was annexed to Cape Colony in 1871, but in 1884 it was restored to direct control by the Crown. The colony of Basutoland became the independent nation of Lesotho on Oct. 4, 1966, with King Moshoeshoe II as sovereign.

Lesotho adopted its first flag in 1966, which was when it got independence from the United Kingdom. There were three vertical stripes of Green, Red, and Blue, with the last one taking up the most area. A white mokorotlo also featured on the flag. In 1987, the Basotho National Party was toppled from power by a military coup, which was when a new design of the flag was introduced. This flag was in use until 2006.

The banner of Lesotho is separated into three corner to corner stripes - the biggest stripe on the left is white; the middle stripe is blue, and the right-hand stripe is green. In the upper left corner of the Lesotho banner and white stripe is a light chestnut symbol of a conventional shield - which is a part of the nation's emblem.

It is believed that Lesotho's old flag wasn't used after the coup because it identified too closely with the deposed Basotho National Party BNP, who had led the country since independence and incorporated its colors of red, white, blue and green. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of Lesotho Flag for the future.




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