Although we have lived here for a long time, we do not know our world and most of its cultures. A small African country, Swaziland, has one of the cultures that are foreign to many of us. This country, which changed its name to the Kingdom of Esvatini in 2018, is one of the smallest countries in Africa. It is quite interesting that we come across it frequently due to its unique culture.
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Swaziland is the king’s extraordinary mate selection ritual. The country, which gained its independence in 1968, was under the great influence of the British, who could not get enough of exploiting the world. However, despite the colonial period and civil wars that lasted for many years, it managed to preserve its unique culture. Let’s take a closer look at Swaziland traditions and see some of the interesting facts about this country.
Interesting information about Swaziland (Esvatini):
In the smallest country in Africa, the roads are terrible and the management is quite interesting. ç:
The borders of Swaziland cover an area of 17,364 square kilometers according to official figures. In other words, it is slightly smaller than the US state of Massachusetts and thus retains the title of the smallest country in Africa. Two of the last four transport ministers died in car crashes due to the danger of road conditions. Esvatini is the only country in the world ruled by an absolute monarchy. Absolutely no democracy. The lack of democracy does not seem to upset the people of the country, because, as in many absolute monarchies, the king is believed to have divine power in Esvatini.
Thousands of virgins compete to become the king’s consort:
An annual event called the Reed Dance is held in the country. In this event, which is also called the Fertility Festival, more than 25 thousand young girls dance in special costumes. Their only aim is to become the king’s wife, at least for that year. Of course, one of the most important conditions for selection is that the girls are virgins.
Natural life is given great importance in Esvatini:
Hlane Royal National Park in the country has the largest vulture population in Africa. The country’s ecosystem is unique in many ways. For this reason, forest rangers can shoot even people they suspect of poaching without question. Let’s say the person who was shot is dead, the ranger is never punished because he has such broad authority.
Albinos are killed for luck:
The tradition seen in many primitive African countries continues in Swaziland. People with albinism, which causes a person to be completely white with a lack of pigment in the skin, are hunted in this country and killed with special rituals. Body parts of deceased albinos are kept for luck or used for magic. It is known that patients with epilepsy face similar reactions.
It is not known how many wives and children the kings have:
If we consider that they take a new wife every year and they have an absolute child from those spouses, in fact, the king does not die with the enthronement. We can estimate this number from his age, but to the people of Swaziland this information is insignificant. King of Esvatini II, the second longest reigning king in the world. Sobhuza is said to have had more than 70 wives and more than 600 children, including 100 boys.
Unmarried girls can walk around naked:
No, unmarried young girls can walk naked in daily life, not while sunbathing. Just like men. The reason for this situation is that the breasts of a woman who gives birth to a child after marriage are considered valuable because they are breastfed. In other words, the breasts of a woman who has not married, given birth or breastfed are no different from the breasts of a man.
The king’s wife is the mother of the people:
Well which wife, of course, the first wife. The king’s first wife is considered her ritual consort and is referred to as the Queen Mother. Because it has such a sacred duty, the first wife is not allowed to have children. The Queen Anne also has the power to decide on the election of the king’s new wives. II. After Sobhuza died, the Queen Mother declared 75 days of mourning and for some reason banned sex in the country. Even those who were found to have had sex during the mourning period were sentenced to lashes.
Swaziland is the country with the highest number of HIV-infected people in the world:
About 1.2 million people live in Swaziland, the smallest country in Africa. 210 thousand of these people, 27.73%, either have HIV virus or have AIDS. When we compare the number of patients by population, Swaziland is the country with the highest number of people with HIV and AIDS in the world. For this reason, it was forbidden to have sex among young people for a while. It is estimated that around 7,000 people die annually from AIDS in the country.
There is a different perspective on infants and widows:
A baby born in the Kingdom of Esvatini is not considered an individual until he is 3 months old. No name is given and is considered a ‘thing’. Again, no father or any other man can touch that baby until he is 3 months old. Women in the country shave their heads when their husbands die, that is, when they are widowed. So they want everyone to know how sad they are, how they mourn.
The name Swaziland was changed due to confusion with other countries:
Before the country became independent, it was called Ngwane, which was the name of the founding king. When they gained their independence in 1968, they took the name Swaziland, which means the country where the Swazis live. King III, who came to the throne in 2018. Mswati changed the name of the country to the Esvatini Kingdom. This was because the English name for Switzerland, Switzerland, was confused with the name Swaziland. Esvatini means home of the Swazis. So almost in the same sense as the old name.
The king literally lives like a king:
One in ten people in Swaziland are poor, but not like us, they are to the point of dying. It is even said that there are people dying of starvation. The king of the nation, on the other hand, must be tired of the new wife selection festivals every year, and in 2002 he spent 50 million dollars for a luxury jet. Of course, the international community reacted strongly and ‘condemned’ the king.
We talked about interesting information about Swaziland, which has always made a name for itself with its extraordinary traditions despite being the smallest country in Africa, and the details of the country’s culture, with its new name Esvatini Kingdom. You can share your thoughts about Swaziland in the comments.
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