Tsomo Ea Leshano

Old and new Basotho fables, told in both English & Sesotho

As a Peace Corps volunteer in Sebapala, Lesotho, I spent a great deal of time trying to teach the children in my village to look beyond stark reality and create new solutions from their limited resources. I wanted my Ravaging Horde of village children to develop imaginations and creat their own art and stories, to tell 'lies'.

This book starts off with a fable usually performed by an oral story teller that my good friend Libuseng Maphalane wrote down and translated into English. The second story is an example I created myself to show the kids how to 'lie' and should not be taken as proper Sesotho grammer or usage. The last story is a truly wonderful set of 'lies' my friend Tholang Maphalane created just for me.

The illustrations are pencil drawings by Theresa Bongert, who had her own horde of village children to the north. She graciously offered to lend her talent to this book.