Maseur, Lesotho (Commonwealth Union)_Music is the universal language of love but not in Lesotho which has become the murder capital of the African continent, all because of its unique accordion-based music. Deadly gang warfare has sparked between stars of Famo music, which means no musician is safe. But Famo music was never meant to be violent – it has gentle origins developed through wayfarers’ hymns which were spontaneous poetry or rap, composed and narrated or sung by travelers and shepherds journeying through the Lesotho mountains. The accompaniment was usually on a concertina and later an accordion.
It was in 2004 that the accordion based music took on violent shades. Similar to all gang warfare, a Famo musician shot another and a cycle of revenge ensued. The songs transformed from gentle poetry into portraying vehement intensity, furious in its lyrics and vicious in content. The music became the clarion call for violence resulting in hundreds of Famo artistes including singers, musicians, producers, DJs and family members being gunned down.
“If the gang comes looking for their victim and he is not at home, they simply gun down the entire family – wife, children and all,” recounts one of the original promoters of Famo music Sebonomoea Ramainoane. “Entire villages are wiped out because of our music.” And this is probably the reason that this beautifully picturesque country of just two million people recorded the world’s sixth highest homicide rate in 2022.
Reliving the last two decades of the accordion war, Queen of Famo Puseletso Seema’s powerful voice which can shake up a stadium, is a quiet whisper. Lines of horror and fright cloud her face as she recounts some of the most horrific deaths she has experienced in her lifetime. “It’s all about jealousy! If a Famo musician now wants to become a star, he records songs that are full of insults, which is not what our music is about,” she explains. “As a result everyone wants to show off their manhood by owning a gun.” It’s not uncommon for the artistes to carry a gun. In fact, they don’t speak about how many have been killed by their hands, but rather the need for revenge.
Simply taunting a rival gang by calling them ‘little boys’ can get you killed as was the case of Salope Mohlobuti who was killed in his home in the mountains in 2010. However, the likes of Seema stay clear of violent lyrics and instead sing about their lives. But yet, it can be a dangerous.
Most of the original Famo musicians are from impoverished backgrounds, herding cattle or working in the gold and diamond mines. The uniqueness of Famo works on competitive singing with everyone eyeing the winning stakes. Now the distinction between the warring groups is simply on the colour of the traditional blanket draped over the shoulders. Terene one of the largest groups wears yellow while Seakhi don the blue and black blankets.
The gangs are firmly entrenched within the entire community of Lesotho. People are not allowed to protest because the result again, may be death. Even the police remain reticent, either too afraid or having a hand in the violence themselves with the strong ties between the gangs and politicians too being an open secret. 75 guns disappearing from a police station in Mafeteng is a case in point. Besides the horrific numbers being gunned down in the name of music, the uniqueness of Famo music is in danger of extinction. Live concerts and performances are no longer possible. With the gentler more rhythmic Famo now a thing of the past, the younger generations will never know the authentic Famo that is so unique to this land but instead, know only of its deathly violent roots.
