LESOTHO

Known as the “Kingdom in the Sky,” Lesotho has some of the highest points of elevation of any country in the world. An exciting and picturesque means of entering Lesotho is to ascend the notoriously hazardous Sani Pass, making for spectacular unspoiled vistas of the Maluti and Drakensburg Mountains. Most of the population is Basotho who still live a traditional lifestyle centered around family and village life. They have adapted well to the landscape and because they wear beautifully patterned, handcrafted blankets, they have become know as the “Blanket People.”

In this agrarian society, most families will have a variety of livestock often tended by young boys. Wool from the Merino sheep and Angora goats provides a modest income. It was in the faces of the young Basotho herdsmen that I discovered the profoundly soulful human expression that sparked by ongoing interest in ethnic portraiture.