Swaziland in the News
The king made international news today. His wives went shopping for new dresses to celebrate his upcoming 40th birthday and the 40th anniversary of Swaziland independence. Sounds innocent enough, however when you consider that he sent nine of his wives on a private plane to the Europe and Middle East, it becomes clearer why there were protests in the country’s capital, Mbabane. Reminiscent of MTV’s “Sweet 16″ stars, the King is also ordering 10 BMWs, worth an estimated $100K each, to parade his entourage into the party. All this, while his country has a life expectancy of 32, with the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world and many rural communities are starving without access to clean water. (recent news http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gNfovKSpD4FZ-Z8Im7U_G_rYmK0wD931CMT80)
Swaziland, unfortunately, will make news again when the king hosts its annual Reed Dance. The monarchy chooses a new wife each year (currently he has 13) during this festival where women perform a dance for the king. The “cultural” and “traditional” aspects of the festival are invoked each year despite the growing unrest and call to modernize the country and its practices.
The “Swazi tradition” has a significant impact on the women that we are trying to help as well. Despite their hard work and new constitutional rights, rural Swazi women still live in an oppressed environment, making Gone Rural boMake’s mission even more difficult to achieve as it tries to uplift these communities.
(recent news http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJwljLb460vBvXueHtR_XC7S5cQw, http://news.iafrica.com/features/1136560.htm).