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UNCLAS MASERU 000383 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/S AND AF/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPAO LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO: SPEAKER SERIES ON AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY 
 
¶1.  The week of October 13 through 16, 2009, post organized a 
four day speaker series with Dr. Lawrence Jackson, Associate 
Professor of English and African American Studies at Emory 
University. Dr. Jackson held presentations on the subject of 
African American History: Politics and the Struggle to 
Liberation, at various Lesotho high schools and universities. 
 
¶2.  The series kicked-off on Tuesday morning with a lively 
presentation at National University of Lesotho (NUL) 
International High School and another at Mabathoana High School. 
Dr. Jackson used sound bites of jazz, soul, blues, swing and 
hip-hop songs to demonstrate African American music as a device 
to represent social change and to instantiate racial justice and 
social-political equality. This music, played during his 
lecture, revealed changes with time throughout the years of 
1930-1999. Dr. Jackson's presentation was well received and left 
the crowd of over sixty high school students at NUL and over one 
hundred students at Mabathoana wanting more. The presentation 
led to question and answer periods on topics such as 
segregation, crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and current 
political influences in the U.S. that are have impacted Basotho 
people. This same topic was presented at Lesotho High School on 
Thursday, to a crowd of over one hundred students who engagingly 
listened and participated in the presentation. One of the 
students took part by performing a rap to his peers to show how 
music has impacted his life. 
 
¶3.  On day two, Dr. Jackson presented African American Historic 
Influences on the Media, to a larger crowd of college students 
majoring in Mass Media, Communications, Journalism and the Arts 
at both the Institute of Extra- Mural Studies and Limkokwing 
University of Creative Technology (LUCT). His description of 
challenges Black Americans faced in the early 1900's, which led 
to the stereotyping in roles such as mammies, clowns, and thugs, 
opened up a lengthy dialogue between the students. One student 
voiced the difficulties she has experienced as a black woman in 
Lesotho pursuing a career in media. The presentation at LUCT 
began with the showing of a documentary on Ralph Ellison, 
followed by a discussion on the students' perception of Ralph 
Ellison's involvement in various African American movements in 
his time. In 2002, Dr. Jackson authored a book on the life of 
Ralph Ellison and was also featured in a documentary on Ralph 
Ellison's life. The comments and questions the students directed 
at Professor Jackson were indicative of the students engagement 
in the documentary and understanding of the message the 
professor was delivering to them. 
 
¶4.  Overall, the weeklong series had a great impact on Basotho 
high school and university students. Students were highly 
motivated, and although many may choose career paths other than 
music or African history, the talent that exists in the 
classroom has a far greater understanding of not only the 
history of African American struggles, but also how popular 
music has changed over time and is used as a medium for 
transformation and cultural preservation. Post is eager to 
continue hosting similar programs to help support the growing 
interest in the arts in Lesotho. 
 
NOLAN