Malealea

Malealea
Village
Malealea: Malealea is situated in a remote part of Western Lesotho
Malealea
Coordinates: 29°49′44.5″S 27°35′58.5″E
Country	Lesotho
District	Mafeteng District
Community council	'Malakeng
Elevation _ca.	5,900 ft (1,800 m)
Population  (2006)
• Total	613
Time zone	UTC+2 (CAT)

Malealea is a village in the Mafeteng district, roughly 80km from Maseru in southern Lesotho. Located in the Makhaleng valley, ca. 3 kilometers west of the mouth of Botsoela river. The village can be reached from Matelile over 7 km gravel road.[1] The 2006 census counts 613 inhabitants in "Makhomalong (Malealea)" and "Letlapeng (Malealea)"[2]

History

• Rock paintings show that the area was inhabited by the San people.
• Between 1900 and the First World War, the English Mervyn Smith opened a trading station.[3]
• In 1986, the trading station was bought by Mick and Di Jones and gradually transformed into a lodge.[3]

Development

The Malealea Development Trust [4] is a community run non-profit that strives to address the health, educational and environmental challenges faced by the Malealea community. Alongside its work to promote community involvement in tourism, the trust executes various activities and interventions in the priority areas of 1) Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) 2) Health and Well-being 3) Education and Training 4) General Community Development which includes income generation and environmental management.

Culture

Music

The neo-traditional band Sotho Sounds are from Malealea.[5] They perform regularly at Malealea Lodge.[6]

References

1. Mafeteng District Council - Information Handbook (PDF). Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship. June 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
2. "Census 2006 Village List". Bureau of Statistics, Lesotho. Archived from the original on 13 November 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
3. "Malealea Lodge History". Malealea Lodge. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
4. "Malealea Development Trust". www.malealeadevelopmenttrust.org. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
5. "Lesotho shepherds turn junk into funk", BBC News, 2003-11-04, retrieved 2024-10-18
6. Rob Allingham (2006). "South Africa – Popular Music". Rough Guide to World Music: Africa & Middle East. Vol. 1 of 3 (3rd ed.). Rough Guides Ltd. p. 360. ISBN 1843535513.