John Aerni-Flessner
@lesothojohn.bsky.social
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
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
Pinned
John Aerni-Flessner
Articles by John Aerni-Flessner.
africasacountry.com
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...
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...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
If you’re cutting 9% from your academic budget, while taking a 401,000,000 dollar gift for the athletic department, you’re no longer a university, instead you’re a degree granting athletic academy.
December 5, 2025 at 8:13 PM
If you’re cutting 9% from your academic budget, while taking a 401,000,000 dollar gift for the athletic department, you’re no longer a university, instead you’re a degree granting athletic academy.
An announcement of a $401 million donation today at my institution. Of that, $390 earmarked for #athletics and $11 mil going to the #business school, the #marchingband, and #Sparty (the mascot).
We are in the midst of a capital campaign to support #students, #teaching and #research. #Priorities
We are in the midst of a capital campaign to support #students, #teaching and #research. #Priorities
December 5, 2025 at 5:04 PM
An announcement of a $401 million donation today at my institution. Of that, $390 earmarked for #athletics and $11 mil going to the #business school, the #marchingband, and #Sparty (the mascot).
We are in the midst of a capital campaign to support #students, #teaching and #research. #Priorities
We are in the midst of a capital campaign to support #students, #teaching and #research. #Priorities
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
🧵 A dean is abruptly removed. Her account goes viral. At first, it looks like a fight over the humanities. But the more I reported on the University of Tulsa, the clearer it became: this controversy was just the entry point for a far larger institutional unraveling. (1/14)
December 4, 2025 at 3:33 PM
🧵 A dean is abruptly removed. Her account goes viral. At first, it looks like a fight over the humanities. But the more I reported on the University of Tulsa, the clearer it became: this controversy was just the entry point for a far larger institutional unraveling. (1/14)
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Applications due 30 December for the Malmberg Fellowship at the University of #Pittsburgh (USA) to study for a fully-funded #masters degree.
Open ONLY to #Lesotho nationals!
www.global.pitt.edu/cas/students...
Open ONLY to #Lesotho nationals!
www.global.pitt.edu/cas/students...
The Carl Paul Malmberg Fellowship | University Center for International Studies
This Fellowship supports early-career Lesotho nationals studying a master's degree at the University of Pittsburgh in health care, public affairs, education or other areas affecting Lesotho who have d...
www.global.pitt.edu
December 4, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Applications due 30 December for the Malmberg Fellowship at the University of #Pittsburgh (USA) to study for a fully-funded #masters degree.
Open ONLY to #Lesotho nationals!
www.global.pitt.edu/cas/students...
Open ONLY to #Lesotho nationals!
www.global.pitt.edu/cas/students...
Applications due 30 December for the Malmberg Fellowship at the University of #Pittsburgh (USA) to study for a fully-funded #masters degree.
Open ONLY to #Lesotho nationals!
www.global.pitt.edu/cas/students...
Open ONLY to #Lesotho nationals!
www.global.pitt.edu/cas/students...
The Carl Paul Malmberg Fellowship | University Center for International Studies
This Fellowship supports early-career Lesotho nationals studying a master's degree at the University of Pittsburgh in health care, public affairs, education or other areas affecting Lesotho who have d...
www.global.pitt.edu
December 4, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Applications due 30 December for the Malmberg Fellowship at the University of #Pittsburgh (USA) to study for a fully-funded #masters degree.
Open ONLY to #Lesotho nationals!
www.global.pitt.edu/cas/students...
Open ONLY to #Lesotho nationals!
www.global.pitt.edu/cas/students...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
NEWS: The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored ALL previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island last month.
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
December 3, 2025 at 10:18 PM
NEWS: The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored ALL previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island last month.
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
The long fight for compensation for #Basotho #miners from the #TshiamisoTrust continues, with many despairing they will ever get compensated:
lescij.org/2025/10/13/t...
lescij.org/2025/10/13/t...
The lingering scars of mining: How South African mines left Basotho miners to die - MNNCIJ
Ex-miners queue at TEBA in Mafeteng during a Tshiamiso Trust outreach BILLY NTAOTE This story was supported by the: Much of today’s news about Basotho mine workers centers on illegal gold mining and t...
lescij.org
December 3, 2025 at 5:08 PM
The long fight for compensation for #Basotho #miners from the #TshiamisoTrust continues, with many despairing they will ever get compensated:
lescij.org/2025/10/13/t...
lescij.org/2025/10/13/t...
The long and on-going fight against #TB as a legacy of the history of migrant #miners from #Lesotho in #SouthAfrica:
lescij.org/2025/10/27/h...
lescij.org/2025/10/27/h...
Healthcare System on Its Knees: Why Lesotho is Losing the War on TB - MNNCIJ
pictured: Ex-miner Sebota Motseki Billy Ntaote This story is supported by the When ex-miner Motseki Sebota breathes, it sounds like gravel shifting in a tin can. He spent nearly four decades working u...
lescij.org
December 3, 2025 at 4:56 PM
The long and on-going fight against #TB as a legacy of the history of migrant #miners from #Lesotho in #SouthAfrica:
lescij.org/2025/10/27/h...
lescij.org/2025/10/27/h...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Put another way: the athletics budget used to be about 1/6th of state appropriations and now it’s more than half. Not the only way to look at it but it’s one that speaks to my old folk theory.
December 3, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Put another way: the athletics budget used to be about 1/6th of state appropriations and now it’s more than half. Not the only way to look at it but it’s one that speaks to my old folk theory.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Per this, athletics expenses at MSU have almost doubled in 20 years (in real terms): knightnewhousedata.org/fbs/big-ten/...
Michigan State University | College Athletics Database
knightnewhousedata.org
December 3, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Per this, athletics expenses at MSU have almost doubled in 20 years (in real terms): knightnewhousedata.org/fbs/big-ten/...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
I used to wonder if sports were worth the investment at state schools because of how important they were for public support that contributed to state legislatures being willing to fund them. But state appropriations have cratered and the amount spent on athletics keeps going up. What are we doing?
December 3, 2025 at 12:30 PM
I used to wonder if sports were worth the investment at state schools because of how important they were for public support that contributed to state legislatures being willing to fund them. But state appropriations have cratered and the amount spent on athletics keeps going up. What are we doing?
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Too many boards and presidents appear to believe that the value and legitimacy of their university resides in the brand when it, in fact, resides in knowledge and judgment, which in turn resides in the faculty and academic staff.
December 2, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Too many boards and presidents appear to believe that the value and legitimacy of their university resides in the brand when it, in fact, resides in knowledge and judgment, which in turn resides in the faculty and academic staff.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Lesotho’s health ministry is however working on new data, with Letsoela confirming that “we are conducting our own suicide situational analysis with WHO support to understand the true picture”. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
#AfricaCheckFellowship: Does Lesotho really have the ‘highest suicide rate in the world’? Only if you rely on ranking data the WHO warns against
Lesotho is often said to top suicide-rate rankings. But the World Health Organization warns that the estimates are uncertain.
africacheck.info
December 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Lesotho’s health ministry is however working on new data, with Letsoela confirming that “we are conducting our own suicide situational analysis with WHO support to understand the true picture”. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
WHO warns Covid disrupted death reporting in 2020–21, so these estimates aren’t comparable with earlier figures. Differences shouldn’t be seen as trends, and cross-country comparisons remain unreliable. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
#AfricaCheckFellowship: Does Lesotho really have the ‘highest suicide rate in the world’? Only if you rely on ranking data the WHO warns against
Lesotho is often said to top suicide-rate rankings. But the World Health Organization warns that the estimates are uncertain.
africacheck.info
December 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
WHO warns Covid disrupted death reporting in 2020–21, so these estimates aren’t comparable with earlier figures. Differences shouldn’t be seen as trends, and cross-country comparisons remain unreliable. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
In 2025, WHO released updated global suicide estimates using 2021 data. Lesotho’s age-standardised rate was 36.7 per 100,000 — much lower than the 87.5 per 100,000 often cited. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
#AfricaCheckFellowship: Does Lesotho really have the ‘highest suicide rate in the world’? Only if you rely on ranking data the WHO warns against
Lesotho is often said to top suicide-rate rankings. But the World Health Organization warns that the estimates are uncertain.
africacheck.info
December 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
In 2025, WHO released updated global suicide estimates using 2021 data. Lesotho’s age-standardised rate was 36.7 per 100,000 — much lower than the 87.5 per 100,000 often cited. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Unlike countries such as the UK and Japan, which record every death with a legally verified cause, Lesotho still lacks a complete civil registration system — making precise suicide counts impossible. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
#AfricaCheckFellowship: Does Lesotho really have the ‘highest suicide rate in the world’? Only if you rely on ranking data the WHO warns against
Lesotho is often said to top suicide-rate rankings. But the World Health Organization warns that the estimates are uncertain.
africacheck.info
December 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Unlike countries such as the UK and Japan, which record every death with a legally verified cause, Lesotho still lacks a complete civil registration system — making precise suicide counts impossible. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Lesotho’s suicide data is hard to track accurately. Many cases aren’t recorded as suicide but as clinical causes like “respiratory failure” or “blood loss”, says health official Pearl Letsoela. Until recently, hospitals even grouped suspected suicides under “Other Psychiatric Conditions”.
#AfricaCheckFellowship: Does Lesotho really have the ‘highest suicide rate in the world’? Only if you rely on ranking data the WHO warns against
Lesotho is often said to top suicide-rate rankings. But the World Health Organization warns that the estimates are uncertain.
africacheck.info
December 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Lesotho’s suicide data is hard to track accurately. Many cases aren’t recorded as suicide but as clinical causes like “respiratory failure” or “blood loss”, says health official Pearl Letsoela. Until recently, hospitals even grouped suspected suicides under “Other Psychiatric Conditions”.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Lesotho scored the lowest possible data quality rating in 2019 — its death registration data were “unavailable or unusable.” WHO warns these estimates shouldn’t be used to compare countries or guide policy. Caution is needed when interpreting global suicide rankings. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
#AfricaCheckFellowship: Does Lesotho really have the ‘highest suicide rate in the world’? Only if you rely on ranking data the WHO warns against
Lesotho is often said to top suicide-rate rankings. But the World Health Organization warns that the estimates are uncertain.
africacheck.info
December 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Lesotho scored the lowest possible data quality rating in 2019 — its death registration data were “unavailable or unusable.” WHO warns these estimates shouldn’t be used to compare countries or guide policy. Caution is needed when interpreting global suicide rankings. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Of WHO’s 183 member states, just over 60 have “high-quality” death registration. For most low- and middle-income countries like Lesotho, WHO models suicide rates due to missing or poor-quality data. Where data are sparse, estimates can be biased. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
#AfricaCheckFellowship: Does Lesotho really have the ‘highest suicide rate in the world’? Only if you rely on ranking data the WHO warns against
Lesotho is often said to top suicide-rate rankings. But the World Health Organization warns that the estimates are uncertain.
africacheck.info
December 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Of WHO’s 183 member states, just over 60 have “high-quality” death registration. For most low- and middle-income countries like Lesotho, WHO models suicide rates due to missing or poor-quality data. Where data are sparse, estimates can be biased. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Many media reports claim Lesotho has the world’s highest suicide rate, often citing the World Health Organization. A 2019 WHO report listed an age-standardised rate of 87.5 per 100,000. But these rates are only meaningful when based on complete, reliable data — which Lesotho lacks.
#AfricaCheckFellowship: Does Lesotho really have the ‘highest suicide rate in the world’? Only if you rely on ranking data the WHO warns against
Lesotho is often said to top suicide-rate rankings. But the World Health Organization warns that the estimates are uncertain.
africacheck.info
December 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Many media reports claim Lesotho has the world’s highest suicide rate, often citing the World Health Organization. A 2019 WHO report listed an age-standardised rate of 87.5 per 100,000. But these rates are only meaningful when based on complete, reliable data — which Lesotho lacks.
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
#Lesotho is often said to top suicide-rate rankings. But @who.int, which is consistently cited as the source of this claim, warns that the estimates are uncertain and not meant for country comparisons. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
#AfricaCheckFellowship: Does Lesotho really have the ‘highest suicide rate in the world’? Only if you rely on ranking data the WHO warns against
Lesotho is often said to top suicide-rate rankings. But the World Health Organization warns that the estimates are uncertain.
africacheck.info
December 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
#Lesotho is often said to top suicide-rate rankings. But @who.int, which is consistently cited as the source of this claim, warns that the estimates are uncertain and not meant for country comparisons. africacheck.info/lesotho_suic...
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
I was today year's old when I learned that the musical Godspell played a 5-month run in #Maseru, #Lesotho in 1973 as the first shows at the then-Holiday Inn in Maseru.
It would later play #Wits Theatre in #Johannesburg to a mixed-race audience in 1974. Wild times!
It would later play #Wits Theatre in #Johannesburg to a mixed-race audience in 1974. Wild times!
November 25, 2025 at 4:18 AM
I was today year's old when I learned that the musical Godspell played a 5-month run in #Maseru, #Lesotho in 1973 as the first shows at the then-Holiday Inn in Maseru.
It would later play #Wits Theatre in #Johannesburg to a mixed-race audience in 1974. Wild times!
It would later play #Wits Theatre in #Johannesburg to a mixed-race audience in 1974. Wild times!
I was today year's old when I learned that the musical Godspell played a 5-month run in #Maseru, #Lesotho in 1973 as the first shows at the then-Holiday Inn in Maseru.
It would later play #Wits Theatre in #Johannesburg to a mixed-race audience in 1974. Wild times!
It would later play #Wits Theatre in #Johannesburg to a mixed-race audience in 1974. Wild times!
November 25, 2025 at 4:18 AM
I was today year's old when I learned that the musical Godspell played a 5-month run in #Maseru, #Lesotho in 1973 as the first shows at the then-Holiday Inn in Maseru.
It would later play #Wits Theatre in #Johannesburg to a mixed-race audience in 1974. Wild times!
It would later play #Wits Theatre in #Johannesburg to a mixed-race audience in 1974. Wild times!
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Last year at this time, National Endowment for the Humanities staff were gearing up to make the calls to award grants that were recommended at the November 2024 Nat'l Council.
This year, 70% of #NEH staff are fired, 85% of Nat'l Council members are fired, and nearly all grants are terminated. #DOGE
This year, 70% of #NEH staff are fired, 85% of Nat'l Council members are fired, and nearly all grants are terminated. #DOGE
Last year at this time, I had just learned that I would receive a 12-month NEH, and I was excitedly starting to lay plans for a year of research. DOGE halted those plans by canceling my grant outright. Now DOGE is gone too, having accomplished nothing but harm to others. What a year.
November 24, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Reposted by John Aerni-Flessner
Oh no, Jimmy Cliff crossed the final river, comforting myself with this epic live version.
youtu.be/6utjK46tZPU
youtu.be/6utjK46tZPU
Jimmy Cliff - Many rivers to cross - Live stéréo 1970
YouTube video by Lamalopépit de Bruno Carlier
youtu.be
November 24, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Oh no, Jimmy Cliff crossed the final river, comforting myself with this epic live version.
youtu.be/6utjK46tZPU
youtu.be/6utjK46tZPU