It was Core Wreckah who first put us on to Lesotho rapper Kommanda Obbs a while ago. Asked for some background about this video, Kommanda tells us that “Ts’epe was shot in the mountainous villages of Bela Bela and Maputsoe in Lesotho. The aim of the song is to instil confidence in youth so that they embrace their cultures while learning about other cultures. The video introduces the album, the movement and the official Sesotho version of hip-hop. ‘Ts’epe’, which could be translated literally as ‘iron’, is used figuratively in this context as hard-hitting lyricism. The radio dj’s in Lesotho and certain parts of South Africa are really supportive. The video is currently playing on Lesotho TV.” We can see why.

Further Reading

Goodbye, Piassa

The demolition of an historic district in Addis Ababa shows a central contradiction of modernization: the desire to improve the country while devaluing its people and culture.