The Mofolo effect and the substance of Lesotho literature in English

Abstract

Thomas Mofolo is a renowned twentieth century writer who emerged in Lesotho as a product of the spread of missionary education. Written in Sesotho, his works have been translated into English over time. Etymologically, the word “effect” in the title refers to a phenomenon or an observable fact or occurrence that assumes the effects of a norm. The word has connotations of positive expectation, standard, measure and yardstick in determining the reciprocal influence of between past and present, old and new in Basotho imaginative production. This article sets out to determine the impact of Thomas Mofolo’s role as a precursor to, or predecessor of Lesotho literature in general. The idea is to measure whether we can speak of a “Mofolo effect” in both the origins and ascendancy of Lesotho literature in English in particular.

Keywords: Lesotho literature, literary history, Thomas Mofolo