By Matṧeliso Phulane
Praise-singer Tankiso Lizzy Lethibelane, yesterday received her prize money of M1000 from theReporter after winning a poetry competition in honour of King Letsie III’s 60 birthday.
The competition was open to people of all ages. It put specific emphasis on creativity, relevance, entertainment factor, video and sound quality, viewership (social media views and reaction).
In her video clip, Lethibelane is seen reciting her praise-song while holding a piece of paper which she refers to as ‘Lerife la ka’ (a letter to the King to pass on to God).
In an interview with theReporter, Lethibelane said she had previously written a praise song dedicated to Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso on her birthday.
“I thought it was only befitting that since I had penned a poem in honour of the Queen, I should do the same for the King on his birthday.”
Lethibelane said it took her two days to put the poem together, and after completing it, she read it out to her uncle and her grandmother. It is her grandmother who usually contributes proverbs and figurative speech that make her poems rich in content.
The poet noted that she did not necessarily enter the competition because of the prize money, but to contribute in her own unique and modest way to the King’s special day.
Twenty-six-year old Lethibelane is a member of the SothoKids Culture Agency’s poetry section. Born and bred at Qoaling in the Maseru district, Lethibelane went to Qoaling High School before studying Business Management at the Institute of Extra Mural Studies.
She said her poetic capabilities gained fame in November last year after auditioning for the Youth Talent Search five months earlier.
The auditions were open to all Basotho from all the 10 districts of the country. It was an opportunity to reveal their talent in areas such as Sesotho poetry, dances, song writing as well as news reading.
“I wasted no time when I came across a post by the founder of that organisation. I joined the auditions representing Maseru district and was suddenly announced winner under the third category. My first poem was about Covid-19.
“Some of the challenges we encounter in the poetry industry is that in most cases, Sesotho poets and praise-singers are not recognised. Preference is always given to English poems. This restricts us from showcasing our talent as Basotho and, as a result, that discourages us enter competitions,” Lethibelane said.
She thanked theReporter for the rare opportunity that came when she least expected it.
“I am so grateful and happy to receive this amount of money, especially because I had not expected to win. The money will make a big difference. “I am going to use it to pay back the sponsorship I got from the National Manpower Development Secretariat so that I can further my studies,” she added.
