Swaziland@Newsletter 76

Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with
documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, please send mail to:
SAK-Swazinewsletter subscribe@.... Suggestions as to
content and themes of the Swaziland@Newsletter are welcome to
pmm@....
_________________________________

1. His Majesty said more donations were still welcome. Timothy
Simelane. The Swazi Observer, August 29, 2008.

2. Swazi virgins get busy ahead of annual ritual. AFP: August 28, 2008.

3. Acute food shortages expected. Teetee Zwane. The Swazi Observer,
August 29, 2008.

4. Women challenge King Mswati. Mantoe Phakathi, Inter Press Service
(IPS), 28 August, 2008

5. We condemn arrest of PUDEMO National Organizer. Swaziland
Solidarity Network (SSN), 27 August 2008.

6. Swazi royals opt for bling and a big party against a backdrop of
hunger. Bruce Sibanda, Afrik.com Paris, France, 25 August 2008.

7. Anger over royal lifestyle. Mpho Dube. The Citizen, August 25, 2008.

8. Buying the cars: the vehicles were bought at about E600 000 each.
Innocent Maphalala. Times of Swaziland, August 22, 2008.

9. "We are dying, they are flying!" Mbabane (Plusnews), 22 August 2008.

10. Leo Igwe, Reason and Superstition in Swaziland. Political Cortex -
New York,, 25 August, 2008.

11. Devils' Advocates: Despots and the lobbyists who love them. James
Kirchick, The New Republic, August 13, 2008.

________________________________

Dear readers

The newspaper tells us that his majesty King Mswati III has invited
the nation to submit gifts and donations to Royalty.

We can also read that the king has sent 50,000 virgin girls into the
fields to cut reed for an annual ritual next week. He may even choose
his 14th bride. It seems so wonderful.

That high food prices, especially maize prices, could mean a larger
proportion of the population will face food shortages during the
hunger season is here perhaps an irrelevant detail.

More important is it that his wives have been on a shopping spree in
Dubai. The queens have to look radiant and that is why they went to
buy quality items for the big day.

The big day of the king's 40th birthday and four decades of
Swaziland's independence. It is, of course, a wonderful celebration,
despite the coming hunger.

It is also so good to hear that the government has received a huge
discount when purchasing the BMW sedans to be used in the celebrations.

There is no use complaining. Some say that the days of complaining are
perhaps over. They say, that it is time to fight back! One of the
marchers at the demonstration says to the press: This is the first
time commoners have risen up to saying, Enough! The country's
resources must not just be used by royalty. What about the masses?

Yes, what about the masses? What about the hunger? What about the
future? Perhaps, it really is time to rise up.

Yours sincerely
Patrick Mac Manus
Editor Swaziland@Newsletter


______________________________

1. His Majesty said more donations were still welcome. Timothy
Simelane. The Swazi Observer, August 29, 2008.

His Majesty King Mswati III has invited the nation to submit gifts and
donations to Royalty as this is the indigenous way of life for the
Swazi people.

His Majesty said such donations were not bribery to Royalty. He was
speaking at Lozitha Palace when receiving gifts and pledges from the
business community and individuals for use during the 40/40 double
celebration.

Donation

Even if one was accused of having committed a certain offence, we
would treat the offence and donation on different merits, his Majesty says.

His Majesty said people should not misinterpret those who donate to
Royalty as bribing or campaigning for certain political appointments.

The king said from time immemorial, Swazis had adopted a way of life
by which a farmer who had harvested from his crops would separate a
portion to donate to the King.

He thanked various organisations that donated cattle and several gifts
to Royalty for use during the 40/40 double celebration.

His Majesty said more donations were still welcome.

Namuhla kwetfula sekuyesabeka. Nawetfula batsi uzama kuvala inkhosi
umlomo. Kwetfula ngeke sikuvimbe, he said meaning donations to Royalty
would never be stopped.

__________________________

2. Swazi virgins get busy ahead of annual ritual. AFP. August 28, 2008.

Swaziland's King Mswati III on Thursday sent more than 50,000 virgin
girls into the fields to cut reed for an annual ritual next week at
which he may choose his 14th bride.

The ceremony on Monday comes ahead of controversial double
celebrations to mark the impoverished kingdom's 40 years of
independence from Britain and Mswati's 40th birthday on September 6.

"Since you know that the country is faced with these major activities,
I urge you to behave yourselves and make sure that you display respect
so that tourists would return to the country," the Queen mother,
Ntombi Twala, told the girls.

The girls were sent to two locations to cut reeds to be used in the
annual Reed Dance ceremony at Ludzidzini royal palace near the capital
Mbabane.

The age-old reed dance is aimed at encouraging young women to preserve
their purity and abstain from sexual activity before marriage.

But the ceremony has seemingly failed to make an impression on the
scourge of HIV-AIDS in a country where close to 40 percent of the
adult population of one million are infected with the virus, according
to a UN report.

The dance spectacle is characterised by bare-breasted maidens, clad in
colourful short skirts or sarongs. The king, who has 13 wives, may
choose a new bride among the young girls.
The king and eight of his wives returned last week from a
controversial Middle East shopping trip in preparation for the so
called 40-40 celebrations.

The trip attracted unprecedented condemnation from women's groups,
political parties and civil society groups.

__________________________

3. Acute food shortages expected. Teetee Zwane. The Swazi Observer,
August 29, 2008.

High food prices, especially maize prices, could mean a larger
proportion of the population in southern Africa will face food
shortages during the hunger season; between October and March, 2009, a
study has revealed.

A USAID Southern Africa Food Security Update (August) states that in
Swaziland and Lesotho, vulnerability assessment results indicate a
slight improvement, in terms of food insecurity, since last year as
indicated by the reduction in the numbers of people requiring
assistance.

It was found that this was largely a result of the moderate
improvements in harvests in both countries when compared to last
season, which was particularly poor in both countries.

"However, these harvests are still below the past 5-year average
production levels, which explains the existence of transitory food
insecurity," the report states.

In addition, it was found that general inflation rates remain high,
with the largest increases (and contribution) attributed to food
items, with the June food inflation rate in Lesotho being at 13.6%
while in Swaziland, it was even higher at 18.7%.

"In both countries, government and partners are coordinating efforts
to put in place mitigatory measures that save lives and livelihoods,"
the report continues.

An analysis of the region's maize supply and demand, the study found,
indicates that the exportable maize surplus available is sufficient to
cover the import demand of deficit countries, which include Botswana,
Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

It was also found that the deficit countries can meet much of their
requirements by importing from South Africa, which now has an
exportable surplus of about 2.6 million metric tonnes, sufficient to
meet this demand.

Currently, the demand for all cereals - maize, wheat and rice - in
Swaziland is estimated at 211 000 metric tonnes (as at January 2008)
while overall domestic harvest is estimated at 67 000 metric tonnes,
meaning there's a shortfall of about 144 000 metric tonnes.

The estimated maize harvest for 2007/08 is 62 000 metric tonnes with
demand at an estimated 148 000 this year, culminating in an estimated
shortfall of 148 000 metric tonnes. The country imports 100% of its
wheat and 95% of rice.

At present, the National Maize Corporation (NMC) is struggling to meet
the country's quota requirement of maize, currently having received
only 1 605 metric tonnes from local farmers since April.

The study indicates that while a majority of households in southern
Africa will have adequate food over this consumption season,
widespread acute and chronic food insecurity remains a real concern in
parts of most countries.

It is expected that over 8 million people in Swaziland, Lesotho,
Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are at risk of food
insecurity between now and March, 2009 and require some kind of
assistance. In addition, these numbers are expected to peak over the
November to February hunger season.
_________________________

4. Women challenge King Mswati. Mantoe Phakathi, Inter Press Service
(IPS), 28 August, 2008

Hard on the heels of the signing of the Gender Protocol at the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state summit,
Swazi women have challenged King Mswati III on the monarchy's lavish
lifestyle in the face of abject poverty and disease.

The Gender Protocol calls for 50 percent representation of women in
all levels of government by 2015 and further urges member states to
put in place legislative measures guaranteeing gender sensitive
political and policy structures.

The protocol also calls for gender-specific approaches to treatment
and prevention of HIV/AIDS which the more than 1,000 demonstrators,
mainly women and people living with HIV/AIDS, demanded in petitions to
the Minister of Finance, Majozi Sithole, and Prime Minister Themba
Dlamini.

The march was triggered by a recent trip to the Middle East by eight
of King Mswati's 13 wives who left the country with their children,
bodyguards, aides and maids by private jet for an undisclosed mission
on August 15.

Government remained mum on both the nature of this controversial trip
and the source of its funding, but there is a widespread speculation
that the Emakhosikati (the king's wives) were on a shopping spree in
Dubai ahead of the double celebration on September 6 of the king's
40th birthday and four decades of Swaziland's independence.

On the same day the Emakhosikati left, a separate private plane took
King Mswati and Inkhosikati LaDube to the SADC Summit in Johannesburg.
After the summit, the king himself flew to the Middle East. He only
returned to the country on August 27, a day after his other wives.

Women's rights groups led by Swaziland Positive Living for Life
(SWAPOL) called on demonstrators to march to the Ministry of Finance
and Prime Minister's office wearing black as a sign of mourning.

Criticising the march, Traditional Prime Minister Jim Gama said the
protest was against the Swazi culture and an act by disrespectful
women who have taken the fight for women a bit too far.

"Even when women are aggrieved, according to our culture, men have to
speak on their behalf," said Gama.

It was the first time the country witnessed women challenging the King
directly and calling on government to address the issue of his lavish
lifestyle at the expense of the taxpayer.

In the event, few women demonstrators turned up in black. But SWAPOL
director Siphiwe Hlophe said while traditionalists, who include the
Traditional Prime Minister Jim Gama, Prince Jahamnyama and Chief
Magudvulela, successfully intimidated a lot of people from wearing
black, the large turnout did drive the point home.

"As women, we have the right to freedom of expression, life, treatment
and care which is what we are calling for through this march," said
Hlophe.

Source:: http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/index.asp
____________________

5. We condemn arrest of PUDEMO National Organizer. Swaziland
Solidarity Network (SSN), 27 August 2008.

Yesterday, 26 September 2008, Swazi Special Branch Police arrested
(PUDEMO Peoples United Democratic Movement of Swaziland) National
Organizer, comrade Armstrong Robinson. He was taken to a remote
location in Mafutseni, Manzini. There he was harassed and forced to
sign a document - implicating him as someone with knowledge of the
Liberation Council of PUDEMO and its armed wing UMBANE.

As we have complained all along, our comrades continue to get arrested
and harassed by the terrorist regime of Swaziland. This arrest is
another desperate attempt by the regime. Its security forces, because
of lack of information, are randomly picking up people associated with
PUDEMO without any real evidence.

We condemn these arrests in the strongest terms possible. The days of
complaining are over. It is time to fight back! The Regime must not
think for one moment that it has a monopoly on violence. At the recent
extra-ordinary congress in Matsulu, South Africa, PUDEMO resolved on a
declaration for armed struggle. Here are a few excerpts:

"...The conditions under which our people are living under requires of
us to double our efforts in the fight against the parasitic tinkhundla
royal ruling regime. We cannot as a People's Movement allow the
calculated killing of our People through starvation, with acute food
shortages, poor health care system which has become genocide with
hospitals being slaughter houses, the rise in the cost of food and
other commodities, making life unbearable, the HIV & AIDS pandemic
which has spiraled to uncontrollable levels and the regime being
arrogant to the needs of the people...

...The Peoples fighting spirit for self emancipation and
determination has been demonstrated in the mass action activities
undertaken by the organs of the people as a demonstration of unity
against a common enemy and their determination to end the many years
of royal oppression and exploitation...

...We further declare and embrace the existence of the PUDEMO
military organ, the Swaziland Peoples Liberation Army. The People?s
Army shall protect the People of Swaziland, our Leadership and our
Cadres. The People?s Army shall embark on a total military onslaught
against the enemy...'

Clearly the regime is hanging on a thin thread, and its desperation to
hold on to power is evidenced by the case of Comrade Armstrong. There
is a history of these arrests and forced signed confessions since the
beginning of PUDEMO.

We will respond to this with mass action protests against the Swazi
Regime. We must bring to end this violent and unjust system, in the
backyard of South Africa, forced down the throats of the majority of
poor and suffering Swazis. Swaziland will be free of this corrupt
Royal family and its surrogate police and army.

_______________________________

6. Swazi royals opt for bling and a big party against a backdrop of
hunger. Bruce Sibanda, Afrik.com Paris, France, 25 August 2008.

Women in the tiny mountainous kingdom of Swaziland have been
demonstrating over the weekend in protest against a shopping tour
undertaken by eight of the ruling monarch?s 13 wives after they
chartered a flight to Europe and the Middle East.

Reports from there say eight wives, children, maids and bodyguards
left the impoverished kingdom last week to shop for the "40-40" double
celebrations to mark independence from Britain and King Mswati IIIs
birthday on September 6.

Mugabe is one of 13 Southern African Development Community (SADC)
leaders invited to attend the day of royal festivities that would
gobble close to US$6,5-million.

The queens have to look radiant and that is why they went to buy
quality items for the big day.

Angered by what they consider excess largesse, the women marched to
the government offices in Mbabane. The Women?s Coalition of Swaziland
and Swaziland Positive Living organized it.

Ntombi Nkosi, the coalition?s spokeswoman asked how funds could be
spent on a shopping trip when Swaziland, which has the world?s highest
HIV prevalence rate, faced shortages of medicines including anti-Aids
drugs. "We are against the idea of public funds being used in a
questionable way by people who are not employed and (who) do not bring
any revenue to the countrys coffers, she is quoted as saying.

More than 1 500 mostly HIV-positive women staged an unprecedented. But
Jim Gama, the governor of Ludzidzini, the Swazi traditional capital,
said a march by women was "un-Swazi". "I have never heard of women
marching ... All I know is that a woman has to seek permission from
her husband to register her disagreement with whatever was happening
in society but not for her to march. That is un-Swazi."

Close to 40% of adults in the landlocked Southern African nation are
living with HIV and Aids, the highest infection rate anywhere in the
world, according to United Nations figures.

Mario Masuku the leader of Swaziland?s opposition said "I believe that
the money could have been used into improving of the standard of
living of the people of Swaziland. Currently, there are people who are
suffering from the drought, people who are unemployed the money could
have gone into improvement of the health facilities, the money could
have gone into the improvement of the education standards of
Swaziland. We believe that the king if he wanted a birthday for
himself, he could have done so from his own resources, but not from
the people?s taxes," he said.

Swaziland is Africa?s last absolute monarchy and is known for its
annual Reed Dance celebrations in which thousands of bare-breasted
young women dance in front of the royal family.
________________________

7. Anger over royal lifestyle. Mpho Dube. The Citizen, August 25, 2008.

King Mswati III has angered the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN)
because of his expensive lifestyle, and also the arrest of Jan
Sithole, general-secretary of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions
(SFTU).

The SSN has threatened to protest against the King?s 40th birthday and
independence celebration, 40/40, at the Swaziland Embassy in Pretoria
on September 6.

King Mswati IIIs wives are reportedly in Dubai and Thailand, spending
millions of rands ahead of the event.

SSN spokesman Lucky Lukhele yesterday told The Citizen that Mswati?s
days in power are numbered.

He said, The people of Swaziland are suffering but King Mswati III is
spending millions of rands to entertain his wives.

On Thursday, more than 1 000 women marched to the Swaziland
authorities voicing their anger about the trip.

Lukhele said Sithole was detained on Thursday after Swaziland
authorities fingered him for protesting against King Mswati III during
the SADC summit.

The SSN also condemned the SADC?s appointment of undemocratic Mswati
as chair of the troika, saying it is indicative of the lack of
leadership in Southern Africa.
__________________________________________

8. Buying the cars: the vehicles were bought at about E600 000 each.
Innocent Maphalala. Times of Swaziland, August 22, 2008.

Government received a huge discount when purchasing the sleek BMW
sedans to be used during the 40/40 celebrations.

The vehicles will be used to chauffeur heads of state around. This
newspaper reported that 20 new BMW sedans had arrived in the country
through the Ngwenya Border Post on Tuesday night. The cars were later
driven to Carson Motors in Manzini.

It had been reported that the vehicles are worth about E916 000 each,
which meant that, had government paid the actual purchase price, they
would have cost about E18 million (not E22 million, as reported).
Lutfo Dlamini, Enterprise and Employment Minister, said yesterday that
the vehicles were bought at about E300 000 less each.

This means the vehicles were bought at about E600 000 each. "The E916
000 is correct, but it is not the price that government paid," said
the minister. "You can work the price out, but government got a
discount of about 35 percent, on average, on each car." This means
that for 20 vehicles, the amount paid could be about E12 million. This
is a discount of about E6 million in total. Dlamini said their aim was
to ensure that at the end of the day, government did not lose much on
this deal. He said the idea was also to sell the vehicles immediately
after the celebrations because they would still be new. "We did not
want to keep the cars lying idle and sell them after a long time when
they would have lost value," he said.

Congratulated

He said the 40/40 committee, which he is part of, should actually be
congratulated for striking this deal with BMW South Africa. He said
the cars had not yet reached government, as they were with Carson
Motors, the local BMW dealer. The 40/40 celebrations will be held on
Saturday, September 6, 2008.

They are to celebrate His Majesty King Mswati III?s birthday and the
40th independence anniversary.

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport confirmed that the vehicles
would be sold soon after September 6.

This happened in 2003, when Swaziland hosted the Smart Partnership
Dialogue. For this event, government bought BMW sedans which were put
on auction soon after it ended.

Then, government made a loss as the vehicles could not be sold at
their book value.

___________________________________

9. "We are dying, they are flying!" Mbabane (Plusnews), 22 August 2008.

Several hundred Swazis, including people living with HIV, marched on
21 August to highlight the need for government to prioritise funding
to alleviate the humanitarian crises in the country.

The protestors had been spurred by reports that eight of King Mswati's
13 wives had taken a trip to the Middle East and Asia. The King's
Office at Lozitha Palace, 30km east of the capital, Mbabane, would not
reveal the nature of their trip, but the Swazi media noted that the
wives were taking advantage of school holidays to travel with their
children.

"This is the first time commoners have risen up to saying, 'Enough!
The country's resources must not just be used by royalty. What about
the masses?' said Amanda Dlamini, one of the marchers.

"King Mswati declared AIDS a national emergency, and said if nothing
is done there will be no Swaziland. But we are dying, and they [the
royal family] are flying."

Two-thirds of Swaziland's people live in chronic poverty, according to
the UN Development Programme, and 26 percent of adults are
HIV-positive, giving Swaziland the highest HIV prevalence rate in the
world.

After the worst ever harvest in 2007, production improved in 2008 but
is still below the national requirement, while the global food and
fuel crisis has further contributed to the chronic food insecurity
affecting more than 20 percent of the population.

"I was dismayed when I learnt that not only had the wives travelled,
but their bodyguards, maids and children were flown, too," said
protest organiser Siphiwe Hlope, Director of Swazis for Positive
Living (SWAPOL), an AIDS support organisation founded by HIV-positive
women.

"There are many problems that are engulfing the country and, as we
speak, there is a shortage of not only antiretroviral drugs but other
drugs in our hospitals. The elderly do not get their pensions, but
public funds are used for the queens' travel," said Hlope.

The first-ever march to protest royal activities drew blistering
attacks from royal and government officials. Government spokesperson
Percy Simelane and traditional Prime Minister Jim Gama condemned the
marchers' plan to wear black as an affront to traditional mourning
customs.

"Women do not take to the streets! Do they have permission from their
husbands to do this?" Gama said to reporters.

Without revealing how the queens' trips were financed, King Mswati's
older brother, Prince Jahmnyama Dlamini, said, "People always think
that the royalty uses taxpayers' money at all times; the royal family
has its own properties and [is wealthy]."

The march moved through the streets of downtown Mbabane at a slow pace
to accommodate marchers who were HIV-positive, while some women lay
down on the pavement to demonstrate the effects of starvation.

Jan Sithole, Secretary-General of the Swaziland Federation of Trade
Unions (SFTU), was detained and questioned by police while the march
was taking place and could not participate.

Sithole said a major workers' demonstration was planned for 3
September, three days before King Mswati's 40th birthday celebration,
which has been declared a national holiday and will be marked by
publicly financed celebrations.

The daily Times of Swaziland newspaper commented on 22 August: "How
the king wants to move this country forward, either through
power-sharing or absolute control, will determine if the monarchy has
another 40 years to celebrate."

____________________________________________

10. Leo Igwe, Reason is at a shortfall as superstition thrives and
undermines the growth and development of Swaziland. Superstition in
Swaziland. Political Cortex - New York, 25 August, 2008.

Recently I attended a human rights meeting in Swaziland. It was held
in Ezulwini, one of the countries few cities and tourist destinations.
This event offered me an opportunity to acquaint myself with the Swazi
society - the history, thought, culture and tradition of the people. I
interviewed many Swazis, met with some university students and
activists to find out about the religious and superstitious beliefs in
the country. Swaziland in a land locked nation surrounded by South
Africa and Mozambique .

It is one of the smallest countries in Africa with a population of
almost one million comprising primarily Bantu speaking Swazi people.
The Kingdom was colonized by Britain and gained independence in 1968.
Swaziland is a deeply religious and superstitious society. The Swazi
people like other Africans believe in God, spirits and charms to a
fault. They revere these supernatural objects and uphold all sorts of
irrational beliefs and traditional nonsense to the extent that they
undermine their cultural development, political emancipation and
civilization.

According to the online Encyclopedia - the Wikipedia - 82 percent of
Swazis are Christians, while 18 percent profess Islam, Bahai, Hindusm,
and other beliefs.

But as often the case, religions have remained impotent in the face of
country's multifaceted problems and crisis. Many Swazis live in
chronic poverty. Hunger and starvation are widespread. AIDS has taken
a heavy toll on the society with 40% of the population believed to be
infected with HIV. The virus has depleted the country's working
population and orphaned many children. A major humanitarian crisis
looms in the land.

Due to lack of adequate care and support, many children orphaned by
AIDS are forced to roam the streets and scavenge for food and
survival. Not surprising religious exploitation is high in the
country. Religious groups are waxing strong. They are taking advantage
of the people's desperate situation and gullibility.

Local and foreign evangelists are organizing revivals across the
country where they get the people to part with their money in
exchange for divine blessings, comforting myths and miraculous
nonsense that do not change or improve their dire situation. Islamic
clerics from Asia and North Africa are trooping to the country. They
are building mosques and Islamic centres where they indoctrinate the
people with dead and disabling dogmas. In fact in Swaziland religion
is thriving while the people are dying. The faiths are flourishing
while the faithful are famishing.

No matter the religion or belief they may profess, no matter the level
of education they may attain, most Swazis believe in charms popularly
known as muti. The belief is so prevalent that Swaziland can rightly
be called the Land of Muti . Muti is a magical potion prepared by
local witchdoctors called sangomas. Sangomas are believed to have
supernatural powers which they use to produce this substance.

In Swaziland, people attribute everything - good or bad - that happens
to muti. They believe one can use muti to kill one's enemy or rival,
ward off death, disease or mis fortune Swazis believe one can use muti
to enhance one's sexual libido, get a lover, wife or husband, have
children, get a job, check marital infidelity, succeed in exams,
business or at election. One popular superstition in Swaziland is that
one can use muti to send thunder and lightning to kill someone else.
Because of the high demand for muti in Swaziland, ritual killing is
common in the country.

Ritual murder especially of children is a common experience in
Swaziland . During the human rights meeting, there were several
reported cases of ritual murder and sacrifice And many Swazis I spoke
to said they were expecting more ritual killings to occur as the
country prepares for elections in November. Politicians would be
looking for human body parts to prepare the muti which they believe
would help them win elections. In May, the media reported a very
pathetic and horrifying case of ritual sacrifice. Somebody found a
baby that was tied with its umbilical cord in a bush.

And in a related development, two charms were found in the field
during football matches. One was a wrapped piece of paper containing
the names of players and the other was a dead chicken. Swazis believe
charms could make a team win a match or be defeated as the case may
be. Meanwhile Swaziland is not among Africa's top football nations.
Neither its national team nor club side has ever won any major
tournament in Africa.

The need for skepticism in Swaziland cannot be overemphasized. In fact
the skeptical consciousness is critical to the quest for change and
progress in the country. During my stay I visited the University of
Swaziland in Mastapha. I interviewed 9 students to know their thoughts
and views about many superstitious and irrational beliefs in the
country. Only one student showed distinct signs and inclination to
skepticism and critical mindedness. Other found it hard to reason
outside and beyond local superstitions. In Swaziland like in other
parts of sub Saharan Africa, skepticism and critical thinking are the
exceptions; blind faith, dogma and conformism are the rule. And this
situation must change if Swaziland must experience genuine growth and
transformation.

The people of Swaziland need the skeptical awakening to abandon
ancient beliefs and customs that darken and destroy their society.
Skeptical reasoning would help Swaziland to combat ritual killing and
sacrifice. This horrifying ritual persists because the Swazi people
have refused to challenge, question and critically examine the
underlying misperceptions and misconceptions like the belief in muti.
Skeptical intelligence would facilitate democratic change in this
Kingdom. Part of the reason why the country's transition process is
wobbling is the belief that the King has supernatural powers. And that
he uses these `powers' to counteract and neutralize any form of
opposition. Absolutely there is no evidence for this. And all Swazis
need to embrace this and other liberating truths. All Swazis need to
exercise their will to doubt, oppose, object, disagree, disbelief and
differ with anyone including the King without fear.

The people of Swaziland need muster the skeptical will and courage to
challenge the alleged powers of the sangomas, and combat their dark,
negative and destructive influence on Swazi culture and society.
Swaziland needs scientists, technologists, engineers, philosophers and
medical doctors not sangomas or witch doctors to grow, develop and
flourish. The people of Swaziland need skepticism and scientific
rationality to build a modern, civilized and progressive nation, and
realize a true democracy and genuine enlightenment in this 21st century.

Full discussion: http://www.politicalcortex.com/story/2008/8/15/62711/3491

________________________________

11. Devils' Advocates: Despots and the lobbyists who love them. James
Kirchick, The New Republic, August 13, 2008.


Joe Szlavik remembers the moment when he began to suspect that his
work on behalf of the Kingdom of Swaziland was an enormous waste of
time.

It was 2006, and Szlavik - a lobbyist who had represented foreign
governments ranging from Burundi to Gabon to Uganda, as well as the
late Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan - was helping Swaziland, a tiny,
landlocked monarchy sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique,
navigate the tricky waters of Washington politics.

Swaziland's King Mswati III ("a great guy, one-on-one," says Szlavik,
but "real green behind the ears") and his foreign minister ("crusty,
old guard, and incompetent") were in town, and the lobbyist met them
at the stately Willard InterContinental Hotel. Szlavik, whose firm was
pulling in $20,000 per month from its Swaziland account, had some
difficult news to deliver about a certain Swazi custom. "You have this
reed dance, with these virgins," he explained to me recently.
Szlavik's message to his client was simple. "Listen to me," he
implored the king. "You got to stop this."

The reed dance, or "umhlanga" in the Swati language, is probably
Swaziland's best-known tradition. Every August or September, thousands
of girls congregate at Ludzidzini, the King's royal residence, for an
eight-day festival of music, dancing, and singing, officially in honor
of the king's mother. On the seventh day, the young women - all
topless - don skirts made of freshly cut reeds and perform personally
for the king, who may decide to choose one of them as a bride. The
reed dance had recently been a source of domestic political
embarrassment for Mswati. In 2001, troubled by his country's high HIV
rate (at least one-third of the population is believed to be
infected), Mswati had issued a decree that no girl below the age of 18
would be allowed to have sex for five years. Then, in 2004, at the
annual reed dance, Mswati chose a twelfth wife. The problem: She was
16 (and a former Miss Teen Swaziland finalist to boot), meaning that
the king was now technically in violation of his own law.

Soon enough, the sex ban was lifted. The reed dance, however,
continued - and, back in Washington, it was causing Szlavik no end of
problems. Earlier, he had brought the king and Swazi ambassador to
meet with Chris Smith, a socially conservative Republican
representative from New Jersey and then chairman of the House Foreign
Affairs Subcommittee on Africa. Smith "understood there was a
traditional part to the dance but in light of the gravity of the HIV
situation [thought] maybe they could put tradition aside," Szlavik
recalls.

Such arguments were lost on King Mswati. "Look Joe, I understand the
whole thing with the West, but we look at breasts like you look at
feet," the monarch told him. It wasn't an unreasonable point. In some
rural African cultures, women refraining from wearing tops is about as
common as U.S. postal workers wearing shorts in the summer. But try
explaining that to a conservative Republican congressman.

"I like breasts personally," Szlavik, a fast-talking cheerful man of
about 40, told the king. "But, you know, there's a sexual undertone to
it clearly."

In fact, Szlavik had good reason to think the Swazis might take his
advice on reforming the reed dance. Since he began working for the
Swazi government the year before, he had helped convince them to sign
Article 98 of the Rome Statute - a clause that ensures legal immunity
for U.S. government officials (including soldiers) serving abroad -
and persuaded the king, Africa's last absolute monarch, to suspend a
1973 decree issued by his father banning political parties. Reforming
the reed dance, however, was a step too far.

___________________________________________

Free subscription to the Swaziland@Newsletter will also give access to
a photo section with thirteen albums: Swaziland. Historical.
Occupation, exploitation and rebellion. Colonial times. Sobhuza.
Settlers in the colony. People of Swaziland. Images of power. Women of
the land. Children. Men of the land. The struggle for democracy.
Images of a democratic movement.

Swaziland@Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and
distributed to more than 1700 national and international
organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and
electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of
parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

Support the democratic movement in Swaziland: MANDELA FUND: Den Danske
Bank, Norre Voldgade 68, 1358 Copenhagen K, Denmark. SWIFT-BIC:
DABADKKK. Registration Number: 0274. Account Number: 3327000. The
MANDELA FUND is a registered national collection in Denmark.