Between socialism and non-alignment: The Basutoland Congress Party and the Soviet Bloc

This chapter examines the long relationship between the Soviet bloc countries and the Basutoland Congress Party, its roots, contradictions, and implications. It introduces the history of the relationship between the leading Basotho organizations, including the BCP, and the USSR and other European socialist countries. The chapter then concentrates on the lived experience of BCP party members in the USSR and Eastern Europe. Through these life stories, it is possible to discuss the practical importance of these experiences in BCP activities, the ideological syncretism that was born out of them, and the overall significance of socialist assistance for the development of radical nationalism in Lesotho.