By Prof. Dr. Letzadzo Kometsi

National University of Lesotho Vis Moot Team, Head Coach

The Vis Moot

The name rang a bell

It rang loud, and carried with it a sound message

A message of games that simulate real games of dialogue, at global interaction

Interaction of the minds geared towards mind boggling problem solving

Solving problems of the near and afar, the global, yet unborn problems

They said the globe is but a village and the problems of the globe transcend to villages

Villages in Africa, like the global village in trade, interconnected and inter trading

As Erin the tenacious(1), clutched at the bell, and

Tijmen(2) 'man of the people' rang the bell, for the village gathering

For the ultimate sharpening of spears, for the war of wits

Africa in the Moot,

Like the branches of a tree, it whizzed at the winds from the Vis

As it caught and echoed the message louder and clearer

And the riders of the waves of the winds steadfast and focused,

Willem C. to Stephen Fleischer at the East of the African Village, Nairobi

From local village to global village, from where the sun rises, in Africa

Bringing with it the indigenous albeit raw wisdom of the Africa village

To solve African problems through the global village

The public gathering was in the village of Nairobi

Where the mooting of the moot starts

Before I arrived at the East Africa Pre-Moot, but I imagined

I imagined the toil and the sweat of the villagers over abstraction

I imagined the toil of the masters as they guided and directed the thinking

I imagined how hard to appreciate the thinking of the wise, otherwise

I imagined the rush, helter-skelter to the airports with shoddy eyes and ignorant fumbling

I imagined the running around at airports, losing staff, and mind, while mooting in the head

I imagined the arrival at Nairobi, the arrival at Vienna as if simultaneous

I imagined the shock and the excitement of the mooters, there, at Vienna

There, more for the skill, than the kill

Killing it nonetheless, with eloquence and pride

I did not attend the competition in Vienna, though

It is a competition of a kind, still

The kind prophesied and foretold by the great African poets and legends, such as

James Ogunjimi and his kind, Kwame Nkrumah and his kind, for us

The role of Africa in the Vis Moot, given

Rekindling and inspiring the desires for dialogue, not for guns and ammunition, and

Stockpiling the brain power for gun power, the tongue for the gun, and reason for ammunition

Alas, this is competition for cooperation, competition for the entry of Africa in the Vis Moot

Entering without an exit plan, to inherit, re-inspire and reinvigorate the venerable villagers

I did not prepare to moot, but I mooted, from a distance, online

I did not prepare to moot but I mooted, with my brethren, here in my village

I debated foreign concepts and complex issues

I read and wrote prestine arguments while preparing for the examinations, and

I rode road cars and flying cars as I travelled, to argue, in some village

While my other mind stayed to imagine how the toil of my sweat turned out, for

I am only the coach with imagination

For many a home village teams the coaching is habitual, and the imaginary mooting, nostalgic

As I tune in for the next round of bells

The Vis Moot is calling …

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1. The Biblical meaning of the name Erin is 'tenacity'

2.  Tijmen means 'man of the people’' in English