The country boasts numerous cooperatives and other outlets where visitors can watch Basotho craftspeople at work and buy the quality basketwork, textiles and other handicrafts for which they are renowned. The national symbol of Lesotho is the mokorotlo straw hat. This tall tapering item of traditional headwear is made from moseea, an indigenous specie of robust thatching grass often observable from the roadside at higher altitudes. The distinctive shape of the mokorotlo is believed to mimic Mount Qiloane, a conical mountain whose outline is prominent from King Moshoeshoe’s former capital at Thaba Bosiu.
The mokorotlo appears on the national flag of the country, as well as on car license plates countrywide. Its iconic shape is the inspiration behind the capital’s most famous landmark, the thatched Basotho Hat building, which happens to house the capital’s best-known craft shop, Lesotho Co-operative Handicrafts. This is a perfect place to buy your own mokorotlo, along with a range of other locally-made handicrafts and souvenirs.
Weaving in Teya-teyaneng, the country is famed for its hand-crafted wool and mohair products. These include blankets, scarves and ponchos - ideal for keeping out the chilly highland winter air as well as shoulder bags, tapestries, cushion covers and the like. In Leribe, the Craft Centre is an outlet for a philanthropic Anglican Church project that offers employment to women in need and is the kingdom’s oldest and best source of products made with 100% mohair, a superior wool-like fabric made from the hair of Angora goats vastly found in the country!
Teya-Teyaneng is the handicraft capital of Lesotho, housing as a pair of admirable women’s craft cooperatives that merchandise silk, wool and mohair products, including a delightfully distinctive Sotho range of cute woollen dolls. Handicrafts aside, self-caterers will find that the capital has a good range of supermarkets selling a varied selection of provisions. The choice is more limited outside the capital, but Shoprite, the country’s biggest supermarket chain, has outlets in a few larger towns, including Hlotse.
RocApply Tips:
- As with other facets of life in Lesotho, food, and grocery are also sold in their local currency, so ensure to make all the necessary conversions and move around with a little local cash on you. Many of the establishments only accept the USD and EUROS.
- The market is a very popular and crowded place too, so it is important to watch your wallet.
- As a newcomer, some of the names of the items might confuse you, please use any online translator services to check the correct Basotho word for whatever you are searching for.
- Always ask for help or directions from fellow students and if you can't find any around you then ask even the locals they are always happy to assist foreigners and visitors.
"I enjoy shopping and I found it affordable but some of the clothes are definitely not of the highest quality." - Hassan from Turkey
