Olosa

Olosa is two Basotho women led collective that aims to unpack Basotho cultural practices and induce understanding of Lesotho’s indigenous knowledge systems. The core compartment of this collective is rooted in looking inside as an outsider although still being an insider.

As practicing artists who are based in South Africa, Johannesburg but were born and raised in Lesotho, we have come to the realisation of a continued lineage of cultural practices that are rooted in our subconscious. In our individual art practices, we are encountered with these subtle reminders of our culture–it can be argued that this is due to cultural memory. Olosa as a concept is derived from an indigenous Sesotho practice that is typically assigned to women. “Ho olosa” (verb) entails winnowing the grain in woven baskets known as “seroto”;

It is a process that helps remove debris from grain after harvesting. This activity is only done during a specific time of the year: a windy season, just before Spring because wind is used as a tool. The essence of it is to dissect and eliminate the unwanted. This inspired us as a collective to dissect, question and acknowledge the societal norms and conventions within the Sesotho space to induce comprehension. Women labour is the main topic we found resonated a lot with our being.

There are labour intensive tasks that fall into a routine of a Mosotho woman that are often overlooked or not given much validation. Women as emotional beings are found in these routinely cycles where they are silenced and to some degree objectified. Olosa aims to provide a space where we acknowledge and speak to women based cultural practices which can allow for the reclaiming of self-image. Self-erasure is one of the core issues to women labour when assessing the status of women within the society, submitting and meeting all the obligations without acknowledgement, credit and/or validation causes for suppression of self. Speaking and unpacking these parts of culture, it can be argued they bring a sense of acknowledgment. However, what does validation and credit look like?