How South Africas Famo music gave birth to Lesothos terrorist gangs | Crime News [Video]

Maseru, Lesotho – On a sunny afternoon, a white minibus taxi carrying 22 passengers pulled out of a crowded bus station in Johannesburg and headed to neighbouring Lesotho, the landlocked kingdom inside South Africa’s borders.

The moment the minibus got on the highway, the driver switched on the radio and the speakers crackled to life with the sound of a solo accordion – the intro to a well-known Famo song.

“I could listen to this music all day,” said one passenger, a young man in blue workman overalls, but worn stylishly to make a fashion statement instead of for industrial use. Around him, many other passengers, most Lesotho nationals, bobbed their heads and sang along as the drums and vocals on the track kicked in.

Famo, a genre of music that blends traditional Southern African songs and Western instruments, first emerged a century ago among migrant mining communities in South Africa. The music, …