On the 10th of June 2023, the Lesotho National Commission for UNESCO celebrated the International Jazz together with Alliance Française de Maseru at the Ouh La La Café. The audience cheered for the performances of Poho-Peli contemporary folk music, Matsoanafike Chamber Orchestra, Origin Musiq and Siphiwe the_Poet as well as local Jazz club representatives. The event was proudly sponsored by LNIG Hollard.
On the 27th April at Matšeng Biosphere Reserve, we celebrated World Water Day 2023. The name Matšeng is the Sesotho equivalent of the words Oases, thereby resonating with the idea of water preservation. We thus found it necessary to celebrate this very important natural resource on this site. Our core purpose was to share information with schools in a way they will remember through competitive quiz with prizes. The highlight of the interaction was grand prize awarded for the best poem on the Environment and Water. This was a success through the support of UNESCO Regional Office, as well as partnership with local players in the sector. ReNoka made it a memorable day to the participants with a grand prize of their Branded Blanket for an outstanding poem/ thothokiso, that portrayed the message on the importance of environment to good quality water.
The Lesotho National Commission for UNESCO celebrated the International Day for Education in Lesotho on the 31st January 2023 at the ‘Manthabiseng National Convention Centre in Maseru. Together with a diverse group of participants, including the Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organisation (LCN), the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), the Department of Science and Technology as well as some Development Partners (UNICEF, GPE) the celebration was done under the theme “to invest in People, prioritise education”. The goal was to recognise the value of education, accelerate the outcome of education and build the momentum of education. Five panel discussions, emanated from the Transforming Education Summit (TES), illuminated the discussions under different guiding questions which were aimed at addressing and interrogating the pledge that Lesotho made in an effort to transform education.
UNESCO in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture and NUL, is celebrating Biosphere Reserves Day on the 3rd November 2022. As we celebrate the inaugural International Day for Biosphere Reserves, we are also celebrating our First Biosphere Reserve, Mats'eng Biosphere Reserve, designated in September 2021. Our theme this year is 'Biosphere Reserves and their contribution to sustainable development and combating climate change impacts'.
On the 30th September 2022, the Lesotho National Commission for UNESCO partnered with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Non-Formal Education (NFE) fraternity and the Lesotho Distance Teaching Centre (LDTC) to celebrate the International Literacy Day (ILD) at Ha Boose in Berea district under the theme “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces”. One of the objectives of this event was to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights. Several local radio stations and TV shows discussed issues of literacy under the ILD theme before the actual event. During the event, 78 literacy and numeracy learners were awarded certificates at Ha Boose to signify their successful completion of their literacy programme. Local schools attended the celebration of the ILD and some graced the event through Mohobelo and Mokhibo performances.
Transformative Pedagogy for Peacebuilding Workshop held from 06 to 10 December 2021, Maseru, Lesotho. This training of trainers’ (ToT) workshop was conducted by specialists from the National University of Lesotho, Lesotho College of Education and Ministry of Education and Training (Curriculum Centre and Inspectorate) under the coordination of the Lesotho National Commission for UNESCO, Programme Coordinator for Education Office. The workshop was funded by UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building for Africa (IICBA).
The Lesotho National Commission for UNESCO (LNCU) joined the UN family in commemorating the 76th anniversary of the United Nations under the theme ‘Reimage, Rebalance, Restart: Recovering together’. The event took place on Friday the 22nd October 2021 and in attendance were UN agencies, government representation through the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Hon. Ramakoae, Minister of Education and Training, Hon. Phiri and Minister of Health, Hon. Sekatle, the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Betty Wabunoha as well as representatives from diplomatic community.
By more than 2-to-1, ordinary Africans say climate conditions for agricultural production have become worse in their region over the past decade. Overwhelming majorities see worse weather for growing crops in Uganda (85%), Malawi (81%), and Lesotho (79%).
The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (WDAH) is a commemoration of the adoption, in 1980 by the 21st General Conference, of the Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images. The World Day provides an occasion to raise general awareness of the need to take urgent measures and to acknowledge the importance of audiovisual documents.
