The Connotations of Semoshoeshoe in Education for Peacebuilding: A Plea for Restoring a Culture of Peace through Education in Lesotho

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this theoretical study is to argue for the application of SeMoshoeshoe as an African philosophy for educating for peace. We support UNESCO (2020) and UNICEF (2016) advocacy that education is the only tool that can transform the world that is experiencing a surge of violence and the disruption of peaceful human co-existence. In Particular, in this study we contribute knowledge essential for transforming escalating acts of violence in Lesotho and other countries with similar contexts. Research has attested that violence is surging in the Lesotho, placing the country in the sixth highest murder rate in the world (UNDP, 2021). Methodology: Guided by the Indigenous Wholistic theory (IWT), this study adopted a semi-systematic review of literature as a research methodology to argue for SeMoshoeshoe as indigenous resource for Education for Peacebuilding (EP). The study sought to answer; what call for Education for peacebuilding in Lesotho? What are the connotations of SeMoshoeshoe in education for peacebuilding? The content analysis method was used to analyse data. Findings: The findings which yielded that the escalating acts of violence and moral decay in the country call for education for peacebuilding. The study also found that the principles of SeMoshoeshoe are essential resources for educating for a culture of peace. Unique contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The study concludes and recommends that SeMoshoeshoe is a valuable indigenous resource for restoring a culture a peace, and should be adopted as a cultural resource for the development of policy for educating for peace in the country.