Basutoland was a colony that is now present-day Lesotho, the country in which Thomas Mofolo was born in 1876.  From 1884 to 1966, Basutoland was a British colony, and therefore, Mofolo was educated by Evangelical Christian Missionaries, which provides context to his work.  Many of his earlier pieces were influenced by Christian beliefs, but his novel, Chaka, is not, which may explain why it took a significant amount of time before the work was widely published (Thomas Mofolo). 

Annexed to the Cape Colony in 1871, Basutoland became involved in a series of wars in their fight for independence.  Basutoland was returned to the Crown in 1884 and gained independence from the UK in 1966 and became the Kingdom of Lesotho (About Lesotho).

Mofolo was undoubtedly familiar with the history of South Africa and wrote about one of the most well-known Zulu chiefs.  Understanding the history of the region with which Mofolo was familiar provides context for the novel.  Chaka’s story was also relevant to time in which Mofolo was writing the novel in the early 20^th century because of the country’s present involvement in a number of conflicts. 

Works Cited

"About Lesotho." Kingdom of Lesotho, www.gov.ls/about-lesotho/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.

Mofolo, Thomas. Chaka An Historical Romance. Translated by F. H. Dutton, 1931.

"Thomas Mofolo." Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Mofolo. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.