Any Travels

A landlocked country in southern Africa, Swaziland is bordered by Mozambique to the northeast and by South Africa to the southeast, south, west and north.

The country is divided in three well-defined areas of roughly equal breadth and extend north and south and are known locally as the high, middle, and low or bushlands. The highland on the west rise to an altitude of above 6,000 ft, and has an average altitude of 3,500 ft. The middleland averages about 2,000 ft and the lowland or bushland to about 1,000 ft. The entire country is traversed by rivers or streams, making it one of the best watered areas in southern Africa.

The major attraction of the country is that it has preserved its culture quite well. From the ritual smearing of the bride with red ochre in the traditional marriage ceremony to the mystical rite of Kingship, the Incwala, each ritual is deeply significant and is performed only at the appropriate time and place. The centuries- old ceremonies are as valid today as they were in days of Ngwane, the first King of Swaziland and this balance of ancient and modern, traditional and western gives Swaziland and her people their distinctive character.

Urban Swazi's in spite of a very 20th century lifestyle still maintain firm links to the rural areas where water is fetched from the river and cooking takes place in a three-legged pot over an open fire. When duty calls, there is no contradiction for the majority of Swazi's in leaving an air-conditioned office in town and shedding a three-piece business suit in favour of the traditional cloths and skins of emahiya and to take their place with the regiments to perform the task or ceremony for which the nation has been summoned. Watching the regiments wearing the traditional dress of their great-grand-fathers, singing the songs of their ancestors and performing the ancient ritual dances, only the glimpse of a wristwatch here or a flashlight there will remind you that this is not the Swaziland of a hundred or two hundred years ago. Remember that no man will gain the respect of a Swazi unless he is married. In Swazi culture, if you are single, you have no experience!

Mbabane
Mbabane is the capital of Swaziland, but it may well not have become the capital if the British had not won the Anglo-Boer at the turn of the century. During the 1890’s the Boer administration had earmarked what was then Bremersdorp (now Manzini) for the main centre, preferring the warm climate of the middlevelt area. In "Travels of an American Insurance Agent" by Jas. A. Cavanagh, which was published in 1900, Bremersdorp is indeed described as the capital of Swaziland. However, all that changed when the British won the war and Swaziland subsequently became a protectorate of that country. The English prefered the cool hills of the highvelt and so the area which grew to become Mbabane was designated the Kingdom’s administrative capital. Mbabane is set among the glorious mountain scenery of the Dlangeni Hills in Swaziland’s western highvelt at an altitude of 1,200 metres. The actual town of Mbabane was established near a cattle kraal belonging to King Mbanzeni - great grandfather of the present Monarch, King Mswati III.

The first government building was erected on the corner of Allister Miller and Walker Streets which today is the site of the Mbabane Branch of the Swaziland Building Society. The head quarters for the colonial administration was not built until 1939. This fine Cape Dutch structure, which was sadly damaged by a bomb late 1998, today houses the Deputy Prime Minister’s office. Next to it was the old court house which presently accommodates the Trade Promotion Unit under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Culture

The majority of the population is ethnic Swazi, mixed with a small number of Zulus and non-Africans. Traditionally Swazis have been subsistence farmers and herders, but most now work in the growing urban formal economy and in government. Some Swazis work in the mines in South Africa. Christianity in Swaziland is sometimes mixed with traditional beliefs and practices. Most Swazis ascribe a special spiritual role to the monarch.

The country's official languages are Siswati (a language related to Zulu) and English. Government and commercial business is conducted mainly in English.

Dancing and singing are features of Swaziland's main cultural ceremonies, and traditional get-togethers can be brilliant celebrations, with men and women dancing in unison in spectacular traditional gear. Although the monarchy has been criticised as illiberal, the main cultural festivals revolve around sacred ceremonies drawing the people together and reminding them of their relationship to the king. Swazi national dress is striking and you'll see it worn frequently, especially at ceremonies. Shades of ochre, pink and red are common, as is wearing bright feathers in the hair.

Maize is the staple grain, and most people eat it as a type of porridge, often served with a fatty stew. That may sound unappetising, but it is a poor country and it suffers from chronic insecurity of food supply in regions prone to drought. Historically, Swazis have been meat eaters, but the average Swazi's diet is today more likely to be limited to maize, milk and vegetables. African home-produced beer, often made from sorghum or maize, is usually worth drinking, although its quality varies from place to place and you should ask for the best local outlet and brew.