"Someone Educate Us" Wits Basotho Society Students Give Masterclass on Sotho Blankets at Kobo Day

"Someone Educate Us" Wits Basotho Society Students Give Masterclass on Sotho Blankets at Kobo Day

  • Wits University's Basotho Society held a Kobo Day celebration on campus, with students proudly wearing traditional Basotho blankets
  • The outdoor event on the Mathematical Sciences Building lawn showed off the vibrant patterns and cultural meaning behind each blanket style
  • Many South Africans online admitted they had never known the difference between the various blankets until seeing the video

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Wits Basotho Society celebrates Kobo Day as students showcase the meaning behind traditional blankets
Wits students showcased their blankets. Image: @wits_basothosociety
Source: Instagram

Students at the University of the Witwatersrand turned their campus into a cultural classroom. The Wits Basotho Society, known on Instagram as @wits_basothosocietyhosted a Kobo Day celebration on the lawn outside the Mathematical Sciences Building, and they shared the footage online on 21 July 2026.

The video showed a procession of students draped in traditional Basotho blankets, each one bursting with bold, distinctive patterns. The event was watermarked "BAS" and carried a festive, celebratory energy that clearly resonated far beyond the campus gates.

What Kobo Day is all about

The Wits Basotho Society (BASA) expressed its gratitude to members and visitors following their Kobo Day celebration, which saw students walking from East to West Campus while dressed in traditional Basotho blankets.

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The society said the event was more than a parade, describing it as a celebration of heritage, identity and community. Members highlighted that the procession allowed students to showcase the beauty of Basotho culture through song, traditional attire and unity.

The committee added that Kobo Day reminded attendees of the beauty of Basotho traditions and expressed excitement about hosting an even bigger celebration in the future.

View the Instagram video below:

Mzansi reacts to the Basotho culture lesson

South Africans flooded the comments with a mix of admiration, humour and genuine curiosity on the page:

@mr__flexx_ wrote:

"I thought they are all the same thing 😭😭🤞"

@rethabile_monyatsi said:

"I was today years old when I learned that they are different 😭"

@silver_caramel cheered:

"Sanamarena for the win 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 🔥"

@miss_mashetla asked:

"Someone educate us please? How many different blankets are there? What does each blanket mean? Who's eligible to wear it?"

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Tendani Mungoni avatar

Tendani Mungoni Tendani Mungoni is a Human Interest Writer at Briefly News. (joined in April 2026) She is a Film and Television graduate from the University of the Witwatersrand (2020). She began her journalism career as a Multimedia Journalist at Media24’s YOU Magazine. She was a Writer at TheSoul Publishing and Music in Africa. To reach her, contact: tendani.mungoni@briefly.co.za.