Kings of Lesotho - The Royal Succession Story: Immersive VR Experience Brings Basotho Royal History to Life

A ground-breaking virtual reality (VR) experience charting nearly two centuries of Basotho history is set to give audiences a first-of-its-kind experience of the Kingdom of Lesotho's story - not by reading about it, but by stepping inside it.

Kings of Lesotho - The Royal Succession Story is an immersive 360-degree VR experience that takes viewers on a cinematic journey through the history of the Basotho nation, from the founding of the kingdom by King Moshoeshoe I in 1824 to the reign of the current monarch, His Majesty King Letsie III, the ninth in the royal succession. This VR experience will be launched at the Royal Palace Banquet Hall in Maseru, Lesotho, on Thursday 17 September, with Their Majesties King Letsie III and members of the Royal Family, and invited guests. Thereafter, the experience will be open to the public to experience at the Alliance Française de Maseru (AFM), AFM Library, as well as through a series of free touring exhibitions at selected locations around the country.

Through 360-degree storytelling, spatial sound, archival references, traditional music, and historically inspired landscapes, the experience transports audiences into the living memory of Lesotho.

Still from the Kings of Lesotho VR experience of Mount Qiloane the famous conical mountain near Thaba Bosiu in Lesotho that inspired the design of the traditional Basotho hat, the mokorotlo.

"The core of the story begins atop Thaba-Bosiu Mountain, where an historic village, the stronghold of King Moshoeshoe I and the birthplace of the Basotho nation, is brought to life through everyday activities, oral storytelling, music, and historical narration. From there, audiences travel through significant royal sites and beautiful landscapes across Lesotho, including Menkhoaneng, Matsieng, Likhoele, Mokhotlong, Kome Caves, Katse Dam, ’Maletsunyane Falls, Makeneng, Phamong, and Makoanyane Square in Maseru. The journey introduces the life and contribution of each monarch in the royal succession while experiencing the country's natural beauty and cultural identity.

Kings of Lesotho is created in collaboration between the Royal Archives, Museum and Information Centre, in collaboration with MP Multimedia Pty Ltd, a dynamic creative-media company based in Lesotho that specialises in advanced multimedia production, digital storytelling, immersive visual experiences, and innovative content creation, with the Royal Archives providing the historical archival material and MP Multimedia developing and producing the virtual reality experience.

“This project has given us the chance to place our nation's history in front of audiences in a way that has never been possible before, using technology to honour our heritage rather than replace it,” says the artistic team’s Project Lead, Mokhethi Phohlo, of MP Multimedia Pty Ltd, "We hope every Mosotho who steps into this experience walks away with a deeper connection to where we come from."

“The Royal Archives exists to safeguard the history and heritage of royalty and chieftainship in  Lesotho for generations to come. Collaborating with MP Multimedia has allowed us to take those stories out from behind glass and archive boxes, and into a format that speaks to audiences today, while remaining grounded in the historical record. Importantly, the experience can also travel, allowing this history to reach people beyond the archive itself,” says Maneo Ralebitso, Project Lead, of the Royal Archives.

Still from the Kings of Lesotho VR experience – a Basotho man holds up traditional Basotho hat, the mokorotlo, in homage to Mount Qiloane the famous conical mountain near Thaba Bosiu in Lesotho that inspired the design of the hat.

Kings of Lesotho is one of six immersive works developed through Futures_Past: Amplifying Memory with Immersive Technologies, an initiative of the Embassy of France in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), in partnership with Electric South, with funding from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Futures_Past began in July 2025 and will run until March 2027 at venues in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi. The project has brought together artist teams from the countries of six selected archives across South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi, pairing each team with an archive to co-create an immersive digital work exploring the stories held within its collection. Together, the projects explore how immersive technologies can open new ways of encountering and sharing Southern African histories.   

“Kings of Lesotho is a powerful example of what Futures_Past set out to achieve: giving archives new life through the hands of local artists and technologists. Seeing this project reach the point of a launch at the Royal Palace, with the King and Royal Household present, is a testament to what is possible when heritage institutions and creative industries work hand in hand,” says Jean Spiri, Director of IFAS.

Electric South, Ingrid Kopp says, "Working with this project has been a privilege. It shows how immersive technology, when approached with care, can deepen rather than dilute our relationship with history. Kings of Lesotho is not just about looking back at the royal succession; it is about giving audiences, particularly young Basotho, a new way to feel part of that story."

Still from the Kings of Lesotho VR experience – a drone shot of the dramatic Lesotho Highlands.

Kings of Lesotho is the second of six Futures_Past exhibitions and immersive experiences opening across South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi between September and December 2026.

The Official Launch, by invitation only, takes place on Thursday, 17 September 2026, at the Royal Palace Banquet Hall, Maseru. The launch will mark the formal introduction of the completed immersive experience before it opens to the wider public.

The exhibition will be available free to the public from 23 September to 4 December 2026 at the Alliance Française de Maseru (AFM), AFM Library. In addition to the main exhibition at AFM, the project will also undertake a series of free touring exhibitions at selected locations around the country.

Follow the Royal Archives, Museum and Information Centre on Facebook and @_mpmultimedia on Instagram for upcoming touring dates and locations, and to find out where you can experience Kings of Lesotho – The Royal Succession Story.

For further information on Kings of Lesotho, view their  website, and for the wider Futures_Past programme, visit https://www.futurespast.co.za/ 

When archives speak: Immersive exhibitions bring Southern African histories to life

What happens when archives are no longer silent, static, or locked behind glass, but can be walked through, listened to, and felt? From September to December 2026, audiences across South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi will encounter a series of groundbreaking immersive exhibitions, transforming archival collections into living, interactive experiences.

Futures_Past: Amplifying Memory with Immersive Technologies is a collaborative initiative organized by the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) in partnership with Electric South and local cultural institutions, archives, and international collaborators. Supported by the Embassy of France in South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi, and funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the project runs from July 2025 to March 2027.

Following an open call, the project brings together artist teams based in the countries of six selected archives. Over the next eight months, these teams will work closely with archives to co-create immersive digital works that explore and illuminate the stories contained within historical collections using virtual and augmented reality, spatial audio, and interactive installations. The resulting experiences will be presented in exhibitions across South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi from September to December 2026.

“Across Southern Africa, archives hold collections of profound historical and cultural value, yet many struggle to reach new audiences,” says Jean Spiri, Director of IFAS. “Futures_Past creates space for collaboration between custodians of memory and immersive artists, allowing these collections to be approached with care, technical skill, and contemporary relevance.”

Selected artist–archive collaborations:

!Khwa ttu San Culture & Education Centre — Yzerfontein, South Africa
Linocuts, exile, and San cosmology
!Khwa ttu holds over 600 linocuts by !Xun and Khwe artists affected by displacement linked to the South African Border War. The selected creative team will work with the collection and with community members to explore ways of bringing these linocuts into an immersive, multi-sensory spatial experience. Through processes of community co-creation, the work will foreground lived histories, memory, and San cosmologies, using light, sound, voice, and sculptural elements to activate the linocuts in three-dimensional space. Artist team: Indigene Corefio Harris (N!hunkxa); Faye Victoria Katiiti Khakasa Kabali-Kagwa; Inka Kendzia; Thando Mthembu; Xabiso Vili

Top row (L-R): Faye Kabali-Kagwa, Indigene Corefio Harris Bottom row (L-R): Inka Kendzia, Thando Mtembu, Xabiso Vili

GALA Queer Archive — Johannesburg, South Africa
Activism, care, and HIV/AIDS history
Focusing on the Township AIDS Project (TAP), founded in 1989, the project draws on archival material linked to figures such as Simon Nkoli. The creative team will create immersive, participatory experiences that transform the archive into a space of action, inviting audiences to engage in practices of care, memory, and solidarity rooted in queer activism and HIV/AIDS response.Artist team: Kieran Reid; Tiisetso Tsholofelo Dladla; Tim Flusk; Jordan Green; Kirsten Reid

Top row (L-R): Jordan Green, Kieran Reid Bottom row (L-R): Kirsten Reid, Tiisetso Tsholofelo Dladla, Tim Flusk

Iziko Museums of South Africa — Cape Town, South Africa
Water as memory, science, and spirit
Working with material linked to Iziko’s upcoming Amanzi eAfrica exhibition,  the creative team will develop an immersive project that explores water as a cultural, spiritual, and environmental force. Drawing on archives, oral histories, and ecological research, the work will invite audiences to engage with multiple perspectives on water, past and present.
Artist team: Sarah Frances Summers; Desiré Laurent de Laroche Souvestre; Kyle Donald Marais; Reilly Robynn Cloete; Laurine Platzky

Top row (L-R): Sarah Frances Summers, Desiré Laurent de Larouche Souvestre Bottom row (L-R): Dr Laurine Platzky, Reilly Robynn Cloete, Kyle Donald Marais

Music Crossroads Malawi — Lilongwe, Malawi
Listening to endangered songs and oral traditions
The Music Crossroads Malawi Folksong Archive documents 217 traditional songs covering initiation, agriculture, spirituality, storytelling, and social life. Drawing on this rich heritage, the creative team will develop virtual and physical experiences that invite audiences to enter a living circle of storytelling. 
Artist team: Laura Schuerwegen; Matthew-Lusayo Chawinga; Roosevelt Kasimba Mwandira; Andrew Jere Kanthiti; Thandiwe Phiri; Chikondi Nkhoma; Christopher Ngalu; Kas Mdoka; Andrew Chilonga

Top row (L-R): Christopher Ngalu, Chikondi Nkhoma Middle row (L-R): Kas Mdoka, Andrew Chilonga, Thandiwe Phiri, Laura Schuerwegen Bottom row (L-R): Roosevelt Kasimba Mwandira, Matthew Chawinga, Andrew Jere Kanthiti

National Film, Video, and Sound Archives — Pretoria, South Africa
Reframing apartheid-era images
The Moolman Opnames collection comprises fourteen reels of 35mm film shot between 1960 and 1966. The footage documents everyday life and state activity during apartheid. The creative team will transform these archives into experimental 360°installations inviting audiences to interrogate what the images reveal and what they leave out.
Artist team: Amy Louise Wilson; Francois Knoetze; Kaelo Molefe; Nomandla Vilakazi

Top row (L-R): Francois Knoetze Bottom row (L-R): Nomandi Vilakazi, Amy Louise Wilson, Kaelo Molefe

Royal Archives, Museum and Information Centre — Matsieng, Lesotho
Reimagining royal memory and national history
The Royal Archives preserve records central to the political history and cultural heritage of Lesotho, including official correspondence, royal photographs, and audio-visual material. Drawing on these collections, the creative team will develop a 360° experience that traces the royal succession of Lesotho. The team therefore invites audiences to explore the intersections of monarchy, history, and heritage.
Artist team: Mokhethi Gilbert Phohlo; Phillip Leteka; Telmo dos Reis; Moleboheng Khothatso

Top row (L-R): Phillip Leteka  Bottom row (L-R): Mokhethi Gilbert Phohlo, Moleboheng Khothatso, Telmo dos Reis 

Each selected archive offers a window into stories of resilience, identity, and cultural memory, which the artists bring to life through immersive, participatory experiences.

Reflecting on the collaborative model, Ingrid Kopp, Director of Labs and Partnerships at Electric South explains: “These partnerships are not about overlaying technology onto archives, but about working with artists and institutions to find forms that respect the material and open new ways of participation  and understanding for the public. Immersive tools are used here as a means of interpretation and engagement rather than spectacle.”

The immersive exhibitions will open across Southern Africa from August to December 2026, offering audiences the opportunity to encounter history, memory, and creativity in entirely new ways. 

International mobility and professional training

Two members from each artist team, along with an archive representative, will travel to France in April to develop international relationships and partnerships. This mobility supports professional exchange and longer-term cooperation between Southern African and French cultural and creative sectors.

Emerging producers will also participate in a six-month structured training program, gaining hands-on experience in immersive storytelling, sound design, exhibition development, and archival interpretation. This holistic approach ensures the project not only revives archival knowledge but cultivates a new generation of creative professionals equipped to carry these stories forward.

Alongside the creative collaborations, Futures_Past includes the Immersive Arts Mapping Study, documenting the immersive arts landscape in South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi, and identifying opportunities for support, training, and collaboration. Practitioners are invited to participate via the online survey link.

“Through this project, archives are no longer just repositories; they become spaces of experience, dialogue, and imagination,” says Sofia Saa, Regional Head of New Media, Film and Television at IFAS. “Audiences will not only see history, but step inside it, connect with it, and feel its resonance today. By situating artist teams in the countries of the archives, and including emerging producers in every stage, we are ensuring a truly local, collaborative, and forward-looking approach.”