C U LT U R A
E S W A T IN I
T H E P R O M IS E D L A N D V E R O N IC A G U A R IS C O , 2 D
Promises are binding, no doubt about it. I thank Rich, my desk mate, for inspiring me to do these hours and hours of research dedicated to the deepening of my understanding of this fascinating as it is unknown culture, of which you are enjoying the fruits. To better understand the Swati, the inhabitants of the former Kingdom of Swaziland, it is essential to put yourself in their shoes, or better yet, on the plateau of which their entire nation is comprised. Indeed, they live in a landlocked country which covers just over 17,000 km2: as a point of reference, its surface is less than half of that of Switzerland (41,000 km2). It is arguably the smallest country in the Southern hemisphere, situated E t C e t e r a M a jo r a n a
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between the Republic of South Africa and Mozambique at a latitude of 31º 30’ East of Greenwich, and a longitude of 26º 30’ South of the Equator. The state was often referred to as the Switzerland of Africa, and sometimes it was even confused with it because of the assonance. For this reason, on July 2018, on the occasion of his 50th birthday, king Mswati III changed the country’s name from Swaziland to eSwatini. After all, who wouldn’t? This is only one piece of the revolution he has led throughout his 36 years of regency, regarding both internal and foreign policy. The process was kicked off by his father on September 1968, when Swaziland was granted complete independence from the UK, even though it was still M a rzo 2 0 2 2 - N ° 7
