[Source - Steven Kotze for FHYA using Morija Museum & Archives (MMA) and material written by Stephen Gill and Pusetso Nyabela, 2024: MMA has previously encouraged so-called 'Matabele' or 'Nguni' groups in Lesotho, including those of Hlubi origins, to conduct research and compile histories of their respective communities. During research carried out by MMA since 2014 in preparation for construction of the Polihali Dam (LHWP) in Mokhotlong District, events surround the Langalibalele Affair of 1873 were investigated to assist archaeological interpretation items excavated from caves near the proposed dam, while Heritage Mapping in the Morija-Matsieng area raised further questions about Nguni and Hlubi communities to the north and south of Mokhotlong as well. Attending a feast held at Mankoaneng near Morija on 26 December 2020, Lesotho Minister of Culture, Adv. Lekhetho Rakuoane encouraged Nguni communities in Lesotho to bring forth their history and culture more fully in the lead up to the 2024 bicentenary of Lesotho as a nation. It was at this juncture that MMA was approached by Ettore Morelli on behalf of FHYA to collaborate specifically on a Hlubi Oral History Project (OHP), and the present initiative originated.
After taking the decision to collaborate with FHYA in late January 2021, the MMA compiled a database of potential Nguni interlocutors in Lesotho, including members of the Hlubi community, and arranged meetings with representatives of the Hlubi Council of Lesotho which was established in 2019. Following a successful meeting arranged by the Secretary for Cultural Affairs of the Hlubi Council, Mr. Pokane Tsaeeng, in April 2021, MMA gained access to various Hlubi family networks in different districts of Lesotho and began to organise promotional advertisements for the Hlubi OHP on radio stations to recruit knowledgeable interlocutors.
Once the programme of research was completed in early 2022, a documentation team started work on the joint MMA-FHYA Hlubi OHP. The research and documentation team was composed primarily of Mr. Nkhoula Takane of the Hlubi Association of Lesotho and Mr. Selebalo Molefe (videographer), assisted by Mr. Pusetso Nyabela and Mr. Stephen Gill, both of Morija Museum & Archives (MMA). Audio clips were obtained during other research efforts during 2021 with the assistance of Mr. Kori Phakisi of Masitise Cave House Museum, and Mrs. 'Malentsoe Letlaka, an Apprentice under the Seriti sa Makhoarane Heritage Tourism Initiative. Heavy rains during the 2022 season caused delays in the completion of the project, and the final report was submitted on 31 October 2023.]
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