Diplomatic finesse is not something that adorns Donald Trump, and his ability to provoke sovereign nations around the world is more than incredible. The latest offended party has been the authorities of Lesotho, a small kingdom in southern Africa who felt deeply offended by the gratuitous insult directed at them by the US president a few days ago. During his address to the joint session of Congress, Trump, in his usual rhetoric, listed a series of alleged foreign expenses that he had cut off considering them "outrageous waste". One of the examples he mentioned was, according to his words, "eight million dollars to promote the gay community in the African nation of Lesotho, which no one has ever heard of". He said the latter in such a mocking tone, implying what on earth was Lesotho, which elicited laughter from several Republican congressmen and strange grimaces from his henchmen, like Vice President J. D. Vance.
Lesotho's Foreign Minister, Lejone Mpotjoane, did not hesitate to describe Trump's speech as "insulting", in statements to the BBC. And, like him, many citizens and activists filled social media with comments deeply rejecting the Republican's offense.
But every cloud has a silver lining. Because, although the government of the African nation feels embarrassed by what happened and, as Mpotjoane emphasized, would have never expected such an insult from a head of state like Trump, the episode is serving for the people of Lesotho to stand tall and proudly reclaim their kingdom, inviting everyone to discover its virtues.
Known as the Kingdom in the Sky - because it is the only sovereign nation with all its territory above 1,000 meters in altitude - Lesotho, with a size similar to Galicia, is completely surrounded by South Africa, although separated from it by spectacular mountain ranges like a belt. Its population is around 2.2 million inhabitants, 90% of whom are Christians.
Lesotho is one of the three African states that still maintain a monarchy as the national political system today - along with the nearby Eswatini and Morocco. However, unlike these two countries, Lesotho's monarchy is a true parliamentary monarchy, where the king, as head of state, lacks effective powers but enjoys enormous popularity and plays an important role as a symbol of national unity.
Lesotho was formed in the 19th century when several local tribes joined forces to resist, among others, Zulu invaders. The year 1820 is considered the country's birth year, as it was when the first king, Moshoeshoe I, ascended the throne, exercising strong leadership to lead the Basotho clans, who settled in a plateau about 30 kilometers from the current capital, Maseru. This place, known as the Night Mountain, where all the reigning monarchs have been buried since then, is considered quasi-sacred today. In 1868, the sovereign at the time had to seek help from Great Britain to quell new attacks. This led to Lesotho becoming a protectorate of London - under the name Basutoland - until 1966 when the proud Kingdom in the Sky achieved its independence. Since then, it has maintained a direct link with the United Kingdom through its membership in the Commonwealth. The relationship between the reigning dynasty in Lesotho and the British royal family is very close.
Everything indicates that Trump, as in many other matters, lied about the alleged funds allocated to promote the LGBTQ+ community in the African kingdom, and the accusation was another attack by the Republican against this community. The main LGBTQ+ rights organization in Lesotho, People's Matrix, immediately denied such a claim. Also, there is no mention of any allocation for this purpose on the official U.S. Government website for foreign aid. However, it is true that Washington allocated a fund to Lesotho last year for "health and population" programs, mainly focused on combating HIV/AIDS. Lesotho, a nation of fascinating nature, faces serious issues such as one in six adults being HIV positive. By the way, over 30 NGOs warned last February that programs to address the disease were at risk of collapsing due to the new White House tenant's decision to cut off U.S. foreign aid.
A proud people of their identity
The pride in the national identity of the Kingdom in the Sky's inhabitants does not overshadow the significant problems they face. Its topography combines the majesty and beauty of pure nature with the harshness that condemns human existence. Many of its localities can only be accessed by horse, on foot, or by small plane. Half of the population is highly vulnerable to food insecurity, as most of the territory is not arable. To make matters worse, climate change is wreaking havoc, condemning some areas to long periods of drought.
Instability has dominated the politics of the small country since 2012, characterized by unstable coalition governments that frequently collapse. In 2014, there was even a military coup that raised concerns about the maintenance of democracy. In this context, the role of the monarchy, an institution respected by the different factions, is particularly relevant. In 2023, the country celebrated a special jubilee for the 60th birthday of King Letsie III. Son of Kings Moshoeshoe II and Mamohato, he was educated in the United Kingdom, where he obtained a degree in Law.
He is a monarch who has reigned in two periods. The first time, between November 1990 and January 1995, when his father was forced into exile. Moshoeshoe II was reinstated to the throne in 1995 but died in a car accident in January 1996. Therefore, the current sovereign was crowned on October 31, 1997, at the Setsoto Stadium in Maseru, in a ceremony attended by, among other foreign leaders, the then Prince Charles representing his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
King Letsie married Karabo Motoeneng on February 18, 2000. She became the first commoner in the nation's history to marry into the royal family. They recently celebrated their silver wedding anniversary with a special religious ceremony.
The royal couple has three children: Princess Senate (2001), Princess Maseeiso (2004), and Prince Lerotholi (2007), the heir to the throne. Women are excluded from the throne, although in recent years, there has been a growing debate for a change in succession laws.