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dirtyLizard t1_jdx8g26 wrote

> Now, though, the murders are not just over accordion music. Rival Famo groups also battle for control of the lucrative illegal gold mines in South Africa where many of their followers work.

There it is

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Jemmerl t1_jdx9orw wrote

Yeah talk about burying the lede xD

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KypDurron t1_je0kvgi wrote

Who said anything about buried lede? They're mining gold.

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CeccoGrullo t1_jdwww5i wrote

>the tiny African kingdom of Lesotho

For reference, it's slightly larger than Massachussetts.

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TheCrapWhy t1_jdwx9xr wrote

And completely surrounded by South Africa, with quite a large gap from border to any other country.

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Javerage t1_jdzle3u wrote

It's sealed away to protect the rest of the world. Ruin has come to Lesotho. You remember our venerable kingdom, opulent and imperial. Gazing proudly from its stoic perch above the moor. I lived all my years in that ancient, rumor-shadowed country. Fattened by decadence and luxury. And yet, I began to tire of conventional extravagance. Singular, unsettling tales suggested the country itself was a gateway to some fabulous and unnamable power. With relic and ritual, I bent every effort towards the excavation and recovery of those long-buried secrets, exhausting what remained of our family fortune on swarthy workmen and sturdy shovels. At last, in the salt-soaked crags beneath the lowest caves we unearthed that damnable portal of antediluvian evil. Our every step unsettled the ancient earth but we were in a realm of death and madness! In the end, I alone fled laughing and wailing through those blackened arcades of antiquity. Until consciousness failed me. You remember our venerable kingdom, opulent and imperial. It is a festering abomination! I beg you, return home, claim your birthright, and deliver our family from the ravenous clutching shadows of the Darkest Africa.

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-Copenhagen t1_jdx4wd2 wrote

> For reference, it’s slightly larger than Massachussetts.

That honestly just helped me understand the size of Massachusetts much better.

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qbande t1_jdyh6cu wrote

and is pronounced like 'Lesootoo'.

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Apprehensive-Tap2766 t1_je02os3 wrote

If it helps, us in South Africa pronounce it the way you spelled it. At this point in time, Lesotho should probably be our 10th province.

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Librosaurus t1_je0dj7w wrote

Yeah but how much of it is arable and/or populated?

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Kingsolomanhere t1_jdx3mgt wrote

This sounds like Chicago Drill Rap where they threaten rival gangs and then carry out the threats. Seems like both are dangerous pastimes

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2legittoquit t1_jdzpir9 wrote

If gangsters in the Chicago rap scene also were fighting for control of gold mines.

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[deleted] t1_jdxdna0 wrote

[removed]

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humanregularbeing t1_jdze4kt wrote

Wow. I read your question and thought poverty, then wondered why the downvotes, then spent a few minutes in your comment history. Yecch. Seriously?

(Edit: The comments of yours I'm referring to seem to have been deleted from the posts, so have lost their context, but pretty sure I understood them. Apologies if wrong.)

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circuitbreak t1_jdxon3u wrote

Music?

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KingKratom00 t1_jdxtkmd wrote

It's actually for control of illegal goldmines that the music fans work at according to another commenter.

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KypDurron t1_jdxvxgt wrote

Had no idea that there were gold mines in Chicago

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KingKratom00 t1_jdxw1tb wrote

There isn't? I'm talking about lestholo

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big_sugi t1_jdzv92o wrote

r/woooosh

But also, the fights over gold mines started well after the killings.

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circuitbreak t1_jegd5vo wrote

I forgot what I was responding to tbh. I think the deleted comment was some dude being racist though.

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ToeKnail t1_jdxkzbp wrote

Weird Al: your Lesotho tour dates have been cancelled

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bk15dcx t1_jdx2ifr wrote

We need a peace envoy like Weird Al.

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RamboDanza t1_jdxa9us wrote

He's a national treasure and must be protected. Keep him the hell away from thete.

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partypat_bear t1_jdxe9ha wrote

Thats crazy, imagine polka music wars in Idaho. Just goes to shows its not the just inner cities having violence problems

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headhouse t1_jdyrja6 wrote

>imagine polka music wars in Idaho

Worst... dance-off... ever.

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sharksnut t1_jdxo4uf wrote

Use an accordion, go to jail. It's the law.

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Snax6310 t1_jdy3bis wrote

Hey I’ve been there! Didn’t hear an accordion, or get murdered. Did have a great meal though. 7/10

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hawkwings t1_jdy8ej8 wrote

Who knew that polka music could be so dangerous?

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headhouse t1_jdyr5rh wrote

Someday there'll be a documentary about this, and by necessity it'll be a musical. So the good news is, there's an incredibly awkward Oscars ceremony to look forward to.

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Samtoast t1_jdzr31c wrote

Do you think Weird AL would be like the God of this country or would they try to kill HIM too?

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firemonkeywoman t1_jdwzbm0 wrote

This makes me so unbelievably sad today. I love music. Music brings me great joy. Why can't we all get along. Why can't we share? Why can't we enjoy others music without violence? What are they losing? Everyone can make music. Music belongs to none of us it just is.

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SaintUlvemann t1_jdy8cbq wrote

>Why can't we enjoy others music without violence? What are they losing?

Gold mine money. It's not the music to blame. From the article:

>Now, though, the murders are not just over accordion music. Rival Famo groups also battle for control of the lucrative illegal gold mines in South Africa where many of their followers work. Last Christmas, one miner, Sello Ntaote, came home for the first time in three years to visit his wife and two small sons in Lesotho. Days later he was shot dead at a New Years Eve feast - along with three other guests.
>
>His friends believe he was killed for alleged "treachery", because he'd just moved from a mine controlled by one Famo gang, to another, taking his earnings with him.

They could've put that in the title, but "deadly accordion wars" gets more clicks... and of course, clicks also equal money, so... *shrug*

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firemonkeywoman t1_jdy8sji wrote

I admit I did not read the whole article as closely as I should have. But I do wish we could all love each other and work together to make things good for all humans. Why must we kill over gold or diamonds? Why must we kill and enslave others for cobalt and chocolate?

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WholeSilent8317 t1_jdzf849 wrote

do you own anything gold? it's in your electronics. do you eat chocolate?

there's a demand. someone will meet that demand, no matter what.

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firemonkeywoman t1_jdzfyjs wrote

Yes I know. But why war and slavery? Why do we chose this?

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Ullallulloo t1_je06u5u wrote

I mean ultimately it's just greed and a lack of love for your fellow man. People just want what other people have or can do for them.

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big_sugi t1_jdzvflk wrote

The killings significantly predate the fights over gold mines.

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Mammoth-Mud-9609 t1_jdxouaq wrote

Lesotho is only slightly smaller than the state of Maryland in the USA.

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climbhigher420 t1_je035ie wrote

Probably sounds a lot better than gangster rap, especially the fake gangster rap made famous by guys like Tupac. Well, he said it was fake anyway idk.

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SlenDman402 t1_je063q7 wrote

For an accordion, that's a pretty metal fact

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Notamansplainer t1_jdyk31d wrote

So... Like Bob Marley and his thugs back in the day then?

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g3engineeringdesign t1_jdx22ht wrote

What is wrong with us?

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bk15dcx t1_jdx2l2v wrote

It's not us, it's them.

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Godtiermasturbator t1_jdx85e5 wrote

Sshh! They’ll hear you

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RamboDanza t1_jdxafdy wrote

Not over the shitty accordion music, they won't.

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IterationFourteen t1_jdxh2ow wrote

You take that back you son-of-a-bitch, the accordion music is amazing! Fight me!

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