Art competition showcases local talent

The British High Commission this week honoured outstanding artistic talent in Lesotho as part of the Water Resilience Art Competition.

The competition attracted participants from various age groups including 16 years old and below, 17-25 years, and 2+ years.

The awards ceremony aimed to engage Basotho artists in creative conversations about water resilience, an issue affecting communities across the country.

Pheko Mathibeli, a multimedia production practitioner and academic with over 40 years of interest in fine arts, expressed gratitude to Her Excellency Martine Sobey, British High Commissioner to Lesotho, for creating a platform that allows artists to explore this critical theme.

Mathibeli said through the artists’ work, they saw reflections of their landscapes, challenges, resilience, and identity as Basotho.

“In other words, you reminded us that water resilience is not abstract, rather, it is a lived experience in our communities,” he noted.

The judges considered each piece’s relevance to the theme, creativity, artistic strength, and clarity of message.

“The depth, diversity, and quality of submissions made our task both challenging and rewarding,” said, Mathibeli, one of the judges.

He praised the artists’ creativity, saying it strengthens the conversation about their shared future.

High Commissioner Sobey was impressed by the creativity, quality, and depth of insight displayed in the submissions.

She recalled that when the Commission first thought of this competition and launched it, they really did not have many expectations.

“We were blown away by the creativity, quality and passion showcased,” she indicated. “We launched this competition because we wanted to bring together the artistic community with technical work.

She added: “In my six months here, I have realised the way we talk about water in technical terms like Lesotho being the water tower of Southern Africa, the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, the Lesotho Lowlands Water Project, to mention but a few.”

Sobey further indicated that since water is life, it defines communities, where they live, and how they spend their time.

Senior Arts and Crafts Officer in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports, Arts and Culture ‘Mabokang Mokotjo, congratulated all the artists.

“Your work is more than art, it is advocacy, education, and inspiration,” she said.

Mokotjo encouraged Basotho to commit themselves to ensuring that the arts remain central to the country’s development “for in every brushstroke, every sculpture, every performance, lies the possibility of transformation of communities, of policies and of futures”.

One of the winners, Pinkie Thulo, said her painting titled ‘Unmeasured Water’ was inspired by the country’s landscapes and daily life.

She stated that through her work, she aims to celebrate not just water itself, but its resilience in Lesotho, how it sustains life, sharpens communities, and endures despites challenges.

Another winner, Alvin Lesoli said his painting, ‘Water is Gold Art Statement’ – where he painted water as gold – challenges viewers to see the value beyond the price tag.

“The piece is a call to recognise that to protect our water is to protect the very gold of our life and heritage,” he explained.

The winners walked away with various gifts including; ipads, headphones, airtime worth M1000 and laptops.