Musings on Swazi Culture

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  Mbabane, Swaziland
Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Well as I get closer to departing, I thought it would be interesting to reflect on my experiences here w/Swazi culture. It is quite different from East Africa. When I worked and lived in Kenya, the people are very friendly and warm, even in a big city like Nairobi. It was also incredibly diverse as many different tribal and ethnic groups and religions co-exist there.

My experiences with Swazi culture were very different than I anticipated. The people here are very helpful, particularly in finding directions and or getting around the bus stop. People will literally walk you to the bus that you need to take. That was great. However, you need to ask people directly for help. In Swaziland, the people are much less friendly and colder than in East or North Africa. Everyone keeps their head down and does not say hello. When I was in Kenya, everyone would say "Jambo" (hello) whenever you walked down the street. Here I say hi to people and I get a lot of blank stares and so I stopped looking people in the eye b/c they often got offended. Very interesting differences.

Unfortunately, the only time I did notice people be friendly to me was when they wanted something (particularly money). However I have met many wonderful local people but only in social situations where I was introduced. Many of the local expats  here say that they have lived here for years and do not have any swazi friends. It seems like the Swazi culture is very reserved. Even when you do talk to people, they don't talk to you about their families, friends, other things. They just talk briefly about whatever it is they are supposed to talk about, and that is it.

I know people have stayed in other parts of Africa and have noticed more welcoming cultures. I think it may be mainly do to a few things. #1 Swaziland is a very small country. It is quite insular and close knit community. #2. There is not a lot of diversity here. Of course in this city there are Indians and Chinese (aren't they everywhere??) and Westerners, but still an overwhelming super majority are African and all from the same Swazi tribe as well. So in other parts of Africa that many not be diverse in worldly sense, still have an incredible cosmopolitan indigenous population...meaning there are multitudes of tribes with different languages and beliefs that all live in the same country. Here every one is swazi and all go to the Christian Zionist Church (the main church of Swaziland). #3. Xenophobia. Many people have told me that the Swazis are fairly distrustful of outsiders, particularly Mozambicans. There are some Mozambican refugees and immigrants who have moved here b/c of the civil wars in Mozambique and I have yet to hear a Swazi say nice things about them.  #4. Apartheid. It was never an official policy of Swaziland, but I think the mentality and thought processes still permeated from nearby South Africa. Swaziland has always totally depended on South Africa as here it is a tiny, kingdom surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique and there appears to still be some racial tension stemming from South Africa. On the flip side, there is still a deference to white people. I have heard from white people, that if you get on a bus, passengers will give up their seats to the white people and stand. I never experienced this b/c, newsflash, I'm not white. But I have heard this from others and it made them as white people feel uncomfortable. There is no way that things like that go on, w/o some resentment and racial tension resulting from it.

But in any way, I gained a lot of valuable experiences and learned a lot about Swazi culture. One thing I really had a difficult time understanding was how the HIV rate is so high here, particularly when the religious views are quite conservative and evangelical. The best way that I have heard it explained is that often people have multiple sexual partners, even when married, and condom use is not desired as "comfortable" here. However, the Christianity practiced here, versus what is preached, is a mix between the local tribal customs and literalist christianity. However, the cultural practices of polygamy, multiple partners, and I am sure prostitution cannot be overcome by religion.

Additionally, the King does not help things out much at all. In addition to ruling as a monarch, curtailing free speech and limiting dissention, he has 10 wives and lives quite an oppulent lifestyle w/many palaces while the rest of the population lives in poverty. He recently  married a 17 yr old girl, and this was after he had initiated a ban on teenagers from having sex for 5 yrs to prevent HIV transmission. Needless to say, he ended that ban early. His next wife he took, the family actually protested and took the King to court b/c they accused him of kidnapping their daughter and marrying her against her will but then dropped the case later. He also tried to spend 45Million dollars to buy a private jet (how much the country budgets for health care for 2 yrs) amongst many other things...if you want to read more about this upstanding citizen, check out:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mswati_III_of_Swaziland

Clearly he has not helped the situation with HIV in this country both in his actions and his policies...calling out people by saying that they should be "branded and sterilized" if they have HIV is probably not the best way to shake the taboos about HIV....well what can you do....

anyways, I hope that all is well. peace,
 sumeeth

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