Roof of Africa

The place where we now live offers us more of a glimpse into the social action of Lesotho. Just across the street is both a local hot spot for social gatherings and a sports field. And past the sports field is the main street into down town. The sounds of birds and crickets and frogs are now replaced by the sounds of loud music and party going, vehicles, weddings, and a plethora of other events at either of the venues or, just past the sports field, the hustle and bustle of the city. Not to mention that the cars of revelers, party goers, wedding guests, or other enthusiasts often block our gate and drive. Fortunately most week nights are reasonably quiet, and on the plus side we are getting a sense of the social life of the community.

One day Sunday it was a local bank having a customer appreciation day, and we were awakened by the workman erecting tents and speakers and other activity centres on the sports field. Of course, one of the first things they got set up was the loud speaker system and we were treated to a mix of raucous early morning music, later interspersed with speeches and the shrieks of children enjoying the various games and activities.

Another day is was accordion music. I have heard that at some point in the past the accordion was almost considered the national instrument. It was a keyboard that could be taken almost anywhere and didn’t require an electrical outlet. So we listened to African rhythms played on the accordion for most of that day. For the most part it has been enjoyable to experience the pulse of the culture from this new current vantage point, notwithstanding the sometimes-blocked drive, the garbage left behind, and the odd fight outside our fence; the fights that seem to inevitably follow when males and too much alcohol combine.

On another day it was the roar of motor cross.

The “Roof of Africa” is one of the most grueling motocross races in the world. I spoke to one competitor who noted he has entered the race eight times previously, but has only completed the course on two occasions.

It has been included in the recently announced World Xtreme Enduro Championship series. One thing extreme motocross is not, is an easily accessible spectator sport. They head into the mountains of Lesotho on trails that sometimes require bikes be pushed and dragged over, so unless one is willing to hike back into the mountains or unless one is a local herd boy, the best chance of seeing the bikes is a brief race around town on the first day of the competition.

A local rider and crowd favorite.

The staging area for this around town race was the sports field out front of our house, and the short races that followed to establish starting position for the real race, went right past our house. So, for somewhat different reasons, there was no coming or going in our car for part of this day, but I did have a front row seat for the start of the Roof of Africa.

No crash or safety barriers between the spectators and action here.

If interested in some of the race action, just click on pictures for a link to more pictures like the one below.

(I can not take credit for this photo.)

Upcoming is ‘Summa Feva’, an annual bash with loud music, bands, hordes of young people, and a reputation for all things wild and unruly. After last year’s fiasco, with things wild and unruly taken to some extremes, the organizers have eschewed an evening/night event. ‘Summa Feva’ this year starts at 11:00 a.m., and winds up at 7:00 p.m., an all daylight event. We will need to decide whether to weather the storm, or get out early and spend the day somewhere else.

Yes, it is noisy, and I miss the frogs and crickets (the folks whose house we are in actually have an alarm clock that one can set to play the sounds of frogs and crickets during the night). But, we are seeing and hearing another side of the culture. We can look forward to an ever changing adventure outside our gate for the next seven months.

~ Benno ~