Abstract:
The study investigated the contemporary performance of mangae in order to find the
communication strategies, the significance, the content and the role they perform. By rendition
and style, the performance of mangae is considered as total theatre. Despite only a pure vocal
performance of mangae, a consolidation of styles is blended to form a contemporary oral style
of mangae. The union of styles during the performance of mangae reproduces a new trend of
performance-within-performance during rendition. Traditional and modern theatrical actions are
fused in, either concurrently or sporadically within the performance of the songs.
The performance of mangae demonstrates a serious flexibility and turn-around by incorporating
the resources from two different art spaces. In the process, it successfully strikes a balance
between the two cultures; it does not totally shed off all the traditional artistic qualities while at
the same time it does not fully and exclusively rely on modern-day resources. The balance that
the performance of mangae strikes between the traditional and modern-day culture marks it as
the popular culture of the Basotho.
Thus, the contemporary performance of mangae uses popular discourse to place it within
modern day popular culture of Basotho. It draws from the bank of traditional language as well as
from the modern-day library and blend them to mark a contemporary art of the performance of
mangae. This strength of the performance of mangae to fuse the two cultures together is
important for the conservation, conformity and continuity of the culture. The topics that form
the contemporary performance of mangae include industrialisation, modern politics,
unemployment and social life of the contemporary Basotho.
Obsolete as well as modern day terminology and expressions are used among other things to
delineate the new self-identities, self-righteousness, masculine virility and heroic identities of the
initiates. The performance of mangae invariably uses language, popular discourse and themes
accessible both to youth and the old populace of the Basotho. It also relates to modern-day
popular music, dances styles, christian liturgy and biblical stories, themes alluding to cognisance
of the impact of modern-day and social media technologies to cite a few.
The modern-day performance of mangae is the renowned cultural heritage of the Basotho upon
which a combination of styles is presented during its presentation. Despite the complex of styles
found among the Setšekha, Senotši/Sesotho and Sekaota style, the contemporary performance
of mangae reproduces subjects and themes relating the social, economic, political, climatic and
psychodynamic aspects of human life. It also alludes to some indigenous knowledge base of the
Basotho, for example, the rain making and stopping capabilities. Thus, the performance of
mangae serves as a repository of the worldview and thought of the society within which it is
rendered.
