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Call For Expression of Interest and Contributors
LESOTHO AT 60 | CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
Lesotho at 60: Honouring Our Past, Shaping Our Future
On 4 October 2026, the Kingdom of Lesotho will mark a significant national milestone — 60 years of independence.
To commemorate this historic occasion, Lesotho Insights is preparing a landmark special edition, “Lesotho at 60: Honouring Our Past, Shaping Our Future,” bringing together diverse voices and perspectives to reflect on Lesotho’s journey over the past six decades and consider the path ahead.
This special edition seeks to go beyond celebrating the milestones of our past. It is an opportunity to reflect, question, document, and imagine. We invite contributors with deep knowledge, expertise and experience in their fields to examine the experiences, achievements, challenges and transformations that have shaped Lesotho since independence, while offering thoughtful perspectives on the opportunities and choices that will define the country’s future.
A Journey of Reflection and Looking Ahead
Six decades of independence have brought significant changes to Lesotho’s political, economic, social and cultural landscape. Yet, alongside the familiar narratives of our national journey are stories that remain underexplored, overlooked or insufficiently documented.
What is the Lesotho-at-60 story we may have missed?
What lessons can be drawn from the past 60 years? Which decisions have shaped the country we know today? What has worked, what has not, and why? How can Lesotho build on its strengths while confronting the challenges that continue to limit its development?
As we reflect on the first 60 years, we are also looking beyond the milestone — towards the next 40 years and the Lesotho we aspire to see at 100.
Who We Are Inviting
Lesotho Insights welcomes contributions from knowledgeable and experienced voices, including:
– Academics and researchers with demonstrated expertise in their fields
– Historians and social scientists
– Economists and development practitioners
– Policy experts and analysts
– Writers and journalists with subject-matter knowledge
– Cultural practitioners and creatives
– Business and industry experts
– Environmental and agricultural specialists
– Education and health professionals
– Young researchers and emerging thinkers with strong knowledge of their areas of focus
– Basotho with unique experiences, perspectives and stories to share
We are particularly seeking contributors who can offer original, thought-provoking and evidence-informed perspectives, grounded in substantial knowledge, research or professional experience, and that contribute to a deeper understanding of Lesotho’s past, present and future.
Areas of Interest
Contributions may explore, but are not limited to:
- Politics and Governance
Lesotho’s democratic journey, institutions, leadership, governance and the evolution of the country’s political landscape.
- Economy and Development
Economic transformation, employment, entrepreneurship, investment, trade, inequality, infrastructure and pathways towards sustainable growth.
- Society and Identity
Changes in Basotho society, national identity, youth, migration, gender, communities and the social forces shaping contemporary Lesotho.
- Culture and Heritage
Language, traditions, music, arts, literature, heritage, traditional knowledge and the preservation of Basotho culture in a changing world.
- Education and Human Capital
The evolution of education, skills development, innovation and the role of human capital in shaping Lesotho’s future.
- Environment and Natural Resources
Climate change, water, land, agriculture, conservation and the sustainable management of Lesotho’s natural resources.
- Business, Innovation and Technology
The private sector, entrepreneurship, digital transformation, innovation and emerging opportunities for economic and social development.
- Lesotho and the World
Lesotho’s regional and international relationships, migration, diplomacy, trade and its place within Africa and the global community.
- Looking Towards 2066
What should Lesotho look like at 100? What bold choices, reforms and investments are needed today to build the Lesotho of tomorrow?
- Youth: The Country We Inherited, The Country We Want
A generational assessment of Lesotho at 60: education, employment, entrepreneurship, technology, migration, political participation, identity and opportunity — and the responsibility of today’s young Basotho for building the country they want to inherit at 100.
Eligibility Criteria
- Academic and Professional Qualifications
Applicants should hold a postgraduate qualification, preferably a Master’s degree or equivalent, in a field relevant to their proposed contribution.
- Professional Experience
Applicants should have a minimum of five (5) years’ professional, academic, research or specialist experience relevant to their proposed area of contribution.
- Publication and Research Experience
Applicants should have at least two (2) years’ experience in research, publication, academic writing, journalism, policy analysis or related knowledge-production work.
- Subject-Matter Expertise
Contributors should demonstrate established knowledge or expertise in the subject they propose to explore, supported by their professional, academic or research background.
- Original and Evidence-Informed Work
Contributions must be original, well-researched and evidence-informed, drawing on credible sources, data, research or relevant professional experience where appropriate.
- Independence and Integrity
Contributors must uphold accuracy, intellectual integrity and responsible attribution, while disclosing any material conflicts of interest relevant to their contribution.
- Relevance to Lesotho at 60
Proposals must meaningfully engage with Lesotho’s past, present or future and contribute to the broader theme of Honouring Our Past, Shaping Our Future.
WHAT TO SUBMIT
At this stage, prospective contributors should not submit completed articles.
Applicants should submit an Expression of Interest containing:
- Proposed article title
- The thematic area to which the proposal relates
- A 250–400-word abstract explaining the proposed article, central argument and intended treatment;
- A brief 100–150-word biography
- Current professional or academic affiliation, where applicable
- A brief indication of relevant expertise, experience, research or publications relating to the proposed subject; and
- Full contact details.
Shortlisted contributors may subsequently be invited to refine their proposals in consultation with the Lesotho Insights editorial team before receiving a formal commissioning brief.
Submit Your Proposal
We are inviting interested contributors with relevant expertise and a strong understanding of their proposed subject to submit a short proposal outlining their proposed contribution. Your proposal should briefly introduce the topic, identify the key argument or perspective you intend to explore, and explain why the subject is relevant to the broader Lesotho at 60 conversations.
Please highlight your relevant knowledge, research, professional experience or other qualifications that demonstrate your authority to address the proposed topic. This is an opportunity to contribute to a lasting record of Lesotho’s 60-year journey and to help shape the conversations that will influence the country’s next chapter.
Submit your proposal to: Isinsights@cre8tive.co.ls
Please use the subject line: LESOTHO AT 60 – CONTRIBUTION PROPOSAL
Join the Conversation
Lesotho’s story is complex, diverse and still being written. As the country celebrates 60 years, we believe that understanding where we have come from is essential to imagining where we can go.
Honour the past. Interrogate the present. Imagine the future.
Be part of Lesotho at 60: Honouring Our Past, Shaping Our Future.
We want to hear from people with the knowledge, expertise and insight to help tell Lesotho’s story. Tributers with deep knowledge, expertise and experience in their fields to examine the experiences, achievements, challenges and transformations that have shaped Lesotho since independence, while offering thoughtful perspectives on the opportunities and choices that will define the country’s future.
