A Chief by the People: Nation versus State in Lesotho
Author(s)
Coplan, David B.; Quinlan, Tim
Abstract
Political turmoil in Lesotho has raised the issues of citizenship and national identity. Conflicts arising between government and state, and ethnicity and nation are viewed as impediments to the transformation of Sub-Saharan Africa into a democratic region. Basotho’s chieftainship, which upholds Lesotho culture, has been a historical aspect of society that is periled by Lesotho sovereign rule. Democracy has been viewed from different perspectives in Lesotho, and efforts should be made to integrate politics and culture in the quest for a one-nation ideology.
