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John Aerni-Flessner

@lesothojohn.bsky.social

2.9K followers 740 following 500 posts

Assoc Prof, African History, MSU, RCAH. Dreams for Lesotho: http://undpress.nd.edu/9780 Historical Dictionary: tinyurl.com/3tyha6jt Publications here: https://tinyurl.com/ynvwp6c5 Lesotho, Southern Africa, development, borders, running, Michigan

undpress.nd.edu

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John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · Feb 2

Hello to all my new followers!

As handle suggests, mostly Lesotho/South Africa stuff here.

Academic writing can be found in above links.

Non-Academic Writing:

AIAC: africasacountry.com/author/john-...

M&G: mg.co.za/author/john-...

Daily Maverick: www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/johna...

John Aerni-Flessner

Articles by John Aerni-Flessner.

africasacountry.com

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John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 11h

"AI cannot mishear. And mishearing is often how we learn."

Great, great stuff here.

Please click the link and read

Cate Denial @cjdenial.bsky.social · 1d

This is a wonderful meditation on what AI cannot do.

Alex Shevrin Venet @asv.bsky.social · 1d

wowwww this is incredibly beautiful. tagging some friends who will love this: @ladyofsardines.bsky.social @heymrsbond.com @marcusluther.bsky.social

therumpus.net/2025/10/02/h...

John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 1d

Seeing it reported over on Facebook that the #Lesotho Exemption Permits (#LEP) are being extended for another 18 months--to May 2027. No link yet that I have found.

Good news for #Basotho who have regularised their status in #SouthAfrica.

#Borders
#SADC
#Neighbours

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Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner

Michelle Chihara @thisblue.bsky.social · 1d

Fight on, friends
www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/10/06/r...

‘Reject the Compact’ petition urges USC not to sign Trump’s contract

Faculty show support for USC to reject the federal government’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.

www.uscannenbergmedia.com

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Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner

Nosferatu Joseph 🧛🏻‍♀️ @tashjoeza.bsky.social · 2d

One of the most beautiful genres you'll ever hear.

The Continent @thecontinent.org · 2d

Deep and dapper: An Isicathamiya group performs at a competition in Durban, South Africa. Isicathamiya – isiZulu for ‘to walk on tiptoes’ – is an acapella soulful, choral style developed by Zulu migrant workers.

Photo: Rajesh Jantilal

A group of sharply dressed men in matching royal blue suits stride in unison down a corridor, their movements precise and graceful. They wear pink polka-dot ties, red lapel flowers, and white gloves, exuding both confidence and elegance as they prepare to perform.

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Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner

The Continent @thecontinent.org · 2d

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John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 1d

Thus arrives the #rains in #Michigan that mark the start of real #autumn.

Look forward to this every year!

Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner

Janet Spittler @janetspittler.bsky.social · 2d

2/2 refuse to discuss joining the compact offered by the federal government. Contents … include matters of best practices in higher education with which we are always engaged. But the very existence of this compact is a threat to the values of academic freedom to which we are all committed.“

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Janet Spittler @janetspittler.bsky.social · 2d

1/2 „The College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences has always put basic principles of academic freedom at the center of its work. This value was underscored in the A&S Statement on Academic Freedom of April 2025. Therefore, we ask that the interim
president, the rector, and board of visitors

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Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner

Janet Spittler @janetspittler.bsky.social · 2d

At an emergency all-school meeting of UVa’s College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the following statement (drafted by the school‘s Committee on Academic Freedom) was approved with 97% in favor:

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Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner

Bryan Alexander @edufuturist.bsky.social · 2d

Here's the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) statement on Trump's proposed "Compact" for higher ed:

www.acls.org/news/acls-st...

ACLS Statement Regarding White House “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”

ACLS stands firmly against this latest White House effort to divide faculties by giving special privileges to students in “hard science programs” and its demand that institutions abolish “units that p...

www.acls.org

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Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner

Joseph Rezek @rezekjoe.bsky.social · 2d

ACLS statement against White House “compact”: THIS IS SOVIET SHIT

Screenshot from statement “Universities and colleges have one mission: to advance knowledge. Faculty carry out the mission by conducting research and teaching students. The knowledge they produce and circulate is independently assessed by professional peers. Interfering with that process by forcing knowledge to pass through a political filter is a tactic adopted by the Soviet Union and other authoritarian states. The White House is dressing up its compact as a reasonable corrective to what it views as problems in campus culture. Let no one be deceived. This proposal imposes government censorship on academia. It is anti-American, and it weakens our democracy by devaluing academic expertise.”

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John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 2d

Congrats!!!

Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner

Gillian Brockell @gbrockell.bsky.social · 3d

Another removal to Eswatini. Only one of the five from July has been returned to his country of origin, attorneys say they’ve been blocked from them by the US Embassy.

I’ve reported in Eswatini. People were afraid to talk to me, bc anyone who complains about the king disappears into this prison.

GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF ESWATINI
PRESS STATEMENT
MORE THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE IN THE COUNTRY FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Government wishes to inform the Nation that the Kingdom of Eswatini will receive eleven
(11) Third Country Nationals from the United States of America during the month of October 2025. This follows the agreement made between the two countries to cooperate in this manner.
The individuals will be kept in a secured area separate from the public, while arrangements are made for their return to their countries of origin.
The Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini will work with the relevant countries of origin for these nationals and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to facilitate their reintegration with their families and countries of origin. Two others are expected to be repatriated soon, building on the experience of the successful repatriation of one third country national on Sunday, 21 September 2025. His Majesty's Government is grateful to have collaborated with IOM and the Government of Jamaica to successfully unite this individual with his own people.
The public is assured that the immigrants pose no security threat to either the Nation or neighbouring countries.
THABILE MDLULI
Acting Government Spokesperson

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Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner

Brendan Cantwell @cantb.bsky.social · 4d

If you’re a scientist at a Compact campus, how are you going to feel about getting grants in exchange for the suppression and harassment of your colleagues in the social sciences and humanities?

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John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 4d

Wishing a happy and prosperous Independence Day to all #Basotho ba #Lesotho!

#Khotso
#Pula
#Nala

59 years young for the Kingdom of #Lesotho!

John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 5d

And @mininghistory.bsky.social is, indeed, correct, The Friday Paper is part of "All Protocol Observed," a company that is completely separate from the Mail and Guardian.

All the more reason to subscribe!

Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner

American Association for State and Local History @aaslh.org · 5d

Historians and citizens concerned about the Trump administration's possible censorship of the Smithsonian have come together to document how the museums look today. Their goal is to produce a record before any changes that might be made.

Wary of changes under Trump, 'citizen historians' are documenting the Smithsonian

Historians and citizens who say they are concerned about the Trump administration's pressure on the Smithsonian are working to document exhibits, as they exist today, throughout the museum network.

www.npr.org

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John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 5d

"... Africa’s most widely-read newspaper. The pilot edition of The Friday Paper was put together by experienced journalists drawn from The Continent and Mail & Guardian newsrooms."

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John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 5d

It was a little confusing to me, but point taken! I see this notice, in the paper: "The Friday Paper is published by All Protocol Observed, a non-profit media company. All Protocol Observed also publishes The Continent...

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John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 5d

South Africa's @mailandguardian
launches a new paper to complement its excellent @thecontinent_.

Short form, South Africa focused, "The Friday Paper" is available here (free subscription): thecontinent.org/_files/ugd/2...

Subscription link: tally.so/r/mKbdeD

thecontinent.org

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John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 5d

American hip-hip icon #LaurynHill performed an impromptu concert last Sunday in Bryanston, #Johannesburg after her big RSA concert.

Her outfit was #Basotho-inspired and made by Thebe Magugu.

Stunning pics here:

www.goodthingsguy.com/lifestyle/la...

Pics: Lauryn Hill Stuns Joburg Diners With Surprise Performance

What started as an ordinary dinner in Bryanston ended in goosebumps as Lauryn Hill turned Rockets into her stage.

www.goodthingsguy.com

Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner

Iowa Archaeology @iowaarchaeology.bsky.social · 9d

Grinnell College, Iowa-based archaeologist Laura Ng has been doing some incredible research!

Beth Lew-Williams @bethlewwilliams.bsky.social · 9d

This NPR story highlights the AMAZING archeological work of Laura Ng @cocalola.bsky.social. Laura has been tracking down descendants of the original Chinatown, including my dad (who gets a few words in at the end). www.kuow.org/stories/wyom...

Wyoming town erects new monument to violent, anti-immigrant history

At a time when President Trump is going after foreign laborers in the U.S, and saying unflattering accounts of U.S. history should be removed, Rock Springs, Wyoming has put up a new monument to ethnic...

www.kuow.org

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John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 8d

As far as I know, the textile sector is still (as of today) the largest private-sector employer in the country.

#Lesotho
#AGOA
#Economics

John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 8d

There was a small textile industry in Lesotho prior to AGOA (it was a sanctions-avoiding site for Taiwanese-owned mills, largely).

But AGOA supercharged its growth until it employed almost 60,000 #Basotho at its height.

Today that number is much smaller, but still significant

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John Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 8d

It has a complicated legacy, but has undoubtedly led to the growth of the #textile industry in #Lesotho.

Could it have done more? Yes.
Should Lesotho leaders have tried to build secondary industries and markets? Also, yes.

Was it perfect? No.

It is a loss? Oh yes.

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