Abstract
Basotho accordion music has its roots from initiation schools where song composition skills were one of the traits the initiates were supposed to acquire. In these schools, the eloquent ones would sing about their achievements, and the experiences of their daily lives in general. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to explore one Basotho accordion song: Lerato la favour, using a case study research design. We purposely selected the song to achieve the research aims of the paper. The study is framed qualitatively using an eclectic framework where Africana womanism forms the basis of analysis, supplemented by patriarchy and psychoanalysis. We focus on analyzing the language used in the song. The analysis was deemed relevant to unpack the use of poetic language, the character of the poet as well as the themes inherent in the song. To generate data, we listened to the song several times, transcribing the lyrics then later translating the transcriptions to English. Following this, we conducted a systematic and descriptive analysis of the song using inductive thematic analysis. The findings of the study suggest that Basotho accordion music makes use of poetic language deviant from the language of everyday use. The study, therefore, recommends a need for further research on Basotho accordion music for the preservation of Sesotho and appreciation of indigenous knowledge systems.
Keywords