STAMP ISSUES RELATED TO ICAO (1994-1995)

 

Lesotho : 50th Anniversary of ICAO

 

Issue date: 17/11/1994

 

 

Depicts a Mosotho horseman accompanying his wife to the airport; de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter from Lesotho Airways, registered 7P-LAP in Lesotho; 50th anniversary logo.

 

Depicts a Fokker F-27-600 Friendship plane, registered 7P-LAJ in Lesotho, from Lesotho Airways at the Moshoeshoe International Airport, Maseru, Lesotho; 50th anniversary logo.

 

Depicts a Fokker F‑27 Friendship (in a climbing turn to the left) flying over the Moshoeshoe International Airport, Maseru, Lesotho; 50th anniversary logo.

 

Depicts an ascending Cessna TU206G Turbo Stationair 6 II (it has a cargo pack under the fuselage), registered 7P-AAK in Lesotho, and the terrain above which it is flying; 50th anniversary logo.

 

The information on the selvage (i.e. the marginal paper on the pane) of these blocks of four stamps shows an incorrect inscription: ANNIVERSARY OF ICAO AEROPLANES. An error is introduced here due to the missing character separating ICAO and AEROPLANES; alternatively, the word AEROPLANES should have been printed on a separate line to avoid any misunderstanding. Shows the date of issue: 1994-11-17.

 

 

At the top-left is the Basotho hat (mokorotlo) shown on the Post Office emblem. See footnote.

 

 

 

 

 

Official First Day Covers. Two types of cancels.

 

 

Philatelic Notice:

 

Backgound: The coat of arms of Lesotho was adopted on 4 October 1966 following independence. Pictured is a crocodile (symbol of the royal family) in blue on a Basotho brown shield. This is the symbol of the dynasty of Lesotho's largest ethnicity, the Sotho. The shield is placed on the Thaba Bosiu Mountain, the place of the fortress of the founder of the Kingdom of Lesotho. Behind the shield, there are two crossed weapons, a barbed assegai (lance) and a knobkerrie (club), and a thyrsus of ostrich feathers. To the left and right of the shield are supporters of the shield, two Basutho horses, a special breed of ponies adapted to the cold harsh winters in the country. In the foreground, there is a ribbon with Lesotho’s national motto in white on a brown scroll: Khotso, Pula, Nala, (translated from Sotho into English: Peace, Rain, and Prosperity).

 

Footnote.

The current national flag of Lesotho, adopted on the 40th anniversary of Lesotho's independence on 4 October 2006, features a horizontal blue, white, and green tricolour with a black mokorotlo (a Basotho hat) in the center. The design is intended to reflect a state that is both at peace both internally and with its only neighbour South Africa, replacing the old flag design that featured a military emblem of a shield, spear and knobkerrie.

The blue represents the sky or rain. The white represents peace; Lesotho has had the ideology of peace since the ages of King Moshoeshoe I. The green represents prosperity.

 

Along with the Basotho blanket, the mokorotlo is part of the traditional dress of Lesotho; the shape of the mokorotlo is said to have from Qiloane, the conical mountain near Thaba Bosiu, which is located between the Orange and Caledon Rivers in the Maseru District of Lesotho, 24 km east of the country's capital Maseru.

The mokorotlo is a type of straw hat widely used for traditional Sotho clothing and is the national symbol of Lesotho. The Sotho display the mokorotlo in their homes, indicating that they uphold the customs and acknowledge their bonds with their Balimo (name for the indigenous African Traditional Religion). It also serves to protect the home against danger and other evil influences. The hat is an important part of Sotho cultural attire that is worn to reflect national identity and pride

 

National flag of Lesotho.

Basotho hat.

Emblem of Lesotho’s Post Office.