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The Morija Arts and Cultural Festival, a unique celebration of Lesotho, is held every year in Morija on the 8th of October every year. It reflects the traditional as well as the modern culture of the people of Lesotho. The Morija Arts and Cultural Festival is organized by the Morja Museum and Archives. The festival is supported by the government of the country as well as the Royal Family.
The Morija Arts and Cultural Festival has its theme as “Kaofela re chabana sa khomo”, connoting 'unity in diversity'. For the first time, the Morija Arts and Cultural Festival took place in the year 1999, in order to celebrate the cultural heritage of the country. The Morija Arts and Cultural Festival in Lesotho is in fact one of the prime occasions to celebrate the ethnic variation of Basotho and other neighboring communities. Till 2006, The Morija Arts and Cultural Festival was celebrated for a stretch of 5 days, but of late the celebration has been distributed into 2 halves.
The first half of the festival is known as the Morija Festival Cultural Competition, which is held during the month of October. Drama, traditional dance and poetry competitions take place during this festival. Some of the district school competitions are also held at the Morija Festival Cultural Competition, including the Adults and Community Cultural Groups.
The second half is the Morija Arts & Cultural Festival that occurs during the month of April and continues for a span of 3 days. Some of the chief features of this festival include an array of events, night concerts, artistic performances, performing groups, a wide range of stalls and exhibits. The 2 venues of The Morija Arts and Cultural Festival are Morija Museum and Thabeng Football Grounds.
Two interesting features of the festival include the mokhibo dance and the mokorotlo war dance. The former is performed by women who dance on their knees and shake their bodies, clap and sing along with the rhythm of the music. The latter is a war dance which is performed by the men.
Apart from the traditional music and dances, the highlights of The Morija Arts and Cultural Festival include the contemporary Lesotho music as well as international music. Live performances by music bands from South Africa also attract a huge number of crowds from all over the globe.
Bosotho culture manifests an ancient tradition that is still surviving through the local dances, films and music. This cultural aspect of the Lesotho people is showcased in The Morija Arts and Cultural Festival.
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