Sesotho Lessons Online
Ithute Sesotho
It has been a summer extravaganza of learning Sesotho! Students from different countries gathered on the web to learn Sesotho together courtesy of an angel in the UK who decided to spring to action. The group included third culture Basotho, both youth and adults, and former Peace Corps volunteers who want to revive their Sesotho. Parents and family members were often lurking offscreen (or onscreen if they weren’t too shy) coaching their loved one or simply cheering them on. Let’s hear how it all came to be.
‘M’e, thank you for agreeing to talk to us about Sesotho lessons you have been hosting this summer.
Would you introduce yourself to our readers?
I am Maido Tsenoli born and bred in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho in the district of Qachas’nek. Currently I live and work in Birmingham U.K.
Can you describe the lessons, when and where they are held, etc.? When did they start?
Sesotho lessons are for anyone who relates with Lesotho in different ways. Either a Mosotho born outside the country and would like to reconnect with their roots, planning to visit Lesotho and would like to get about, have family in Lesotho and want to impress them when visiting or just intrigued by languages.
How big is the group?
The group consists of both children and adults and our youngest learners are from age 6. We currently have 40 learners of different abilities.
How did this idea come about?
Officially identified languages in Lesotho are English and Sesotho and unfortunately during early education Sesotho language has been made inferior to English hence all subjects at school were taught in English apart from Sesotho language. I realised this was the case within the Diaspora community hence I took initiative to promote love for Sesotho as a language like all other languages.
How did you move from idea to execution?
The idea has been there for several years of raising my own kids in a foreign country and I tried different strategies to teach them Sesotho at home but there was little improvement. The kids started a blaming game and did not understand how they were not introduced to the language at young age. Talking to a few friends I also realised they had similar challenges. I eventually just started.
Can you share how the lessons evolved from the very first lesson to today?
Our first lesson was amazing! Little did I know that this was going to attract international interest and adult learners. Our learners are from the USA, Lesotho, UK, Canada, and Germany.
Would you say this project is a success? What contributed to your wins? What are some challenges?
The project has been a huge success. We have been lucky to have input of qualified Sesotho teachers from Lesotho bringing their professional knowledge and expertise. We could have not counted on our wins without the support of the parents. They support the project in different ways; some contribute regularly with the teaching, whilst others supported us with their donations which we use towards some teaching resources.
Some of our challenges is that if we don’t have parents to support, we end up with a larger group to teach which may not be as effective as a smaller group, we have a varied age and baseline knowledge which sometimes makes it difficult for the lessons to be appropriate for everyone if we are unable to split the group. Funding for resources like Zoom platform is another challenge because the lessons are currently free, and we rely on donations.
What are your plans for this project going forward?
Our current plan is to continue with the current cohort until we meet our set objectives. We are still working on future provision for Sesotho lessons as we have found out that the demand is very high for the diaspora.
Do you have a message for those who are interested in enrolling?
If you are interested in enrolling, please do get in touch. We can place you on waiting list and enroll you when we get space. We are also considering 1:1 lessons for a fee.
How can they contact you?