Ep05 Swaziland or Eswatini
Hello World!
Welcome to episode 5.
8-Oct-2019 Tuesday.
This morning, we leave Kapama Game Lodge and travel to Swaziland, an independent Kingdom within the borders of South Africa. For some of us, we knew little about Swaziland. Our tour guide gave a brief description of Swaziland.
Is Swaziland part of South Africa? Answer: No, it is a monarchy.
This means there are border crossing gates and we would need to show our passports when we cross the border of two different countries. It is like crossing from Canada to the USA at the border crossing.
When did Swaziland gain independence? On September 6th, 1968, Swaziland was granted formal independence within the Commonwealth.
If you want to learn more, Wikipedia explains it well. Eswatini (/ˌɛswɑːˈtiːni/ ESS-wah-TEE-nee; Swazi: eSwatini [ɛswáˈtʼiːni]), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini (Swazi: Umbuso weSwatini) and also known as Swaziland (/ˈswɑːzilænd/ SWAH-zee-land; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its north, west, and south. Swaziland is small and is no larger than 200 km north to south and 130 km east to west. The population of Eswatini is 1.1 million, while South Africa is 59 million.

Our travel journey would take us over 360 km. Along the way, we would be entertained with an interactive cultural experience to introduce us to the charming people of Swaziland and their traditions. The Eswatini people are uniquely different from the South Africans. Eswatini is known for its lovely scenery, crafts, and colorful indigenous culture.

Rather Interesting Facts about Eswatini.
Just before reaching the border between Swaziland and South Africa, our tour guide shared with us a few remarkably interesting facts about the country.
- In April 2018, the Swaziland King Mswati III announced that he was renaming the country “the kingdom of Eswatini”. The new name, Eswatini, means “land of the Swazis”.
- The king decided to change the name, saying: “Whenever we go abroad, people refer to us as Switzerland.”
- Eswatini is Africa’s last remaining absolute monarchy.
- King Mswati III currently has 15 wives; his predecessor had 125.
- Has the world’s highest prevalence rate for HIV/Aids.
- Low life expectancy with 54 years for men, 60 for women.
Landscape of Eswatini
We observed that Eswatini looked less developed than South Africa. The people were less wealthy and along the way, we saw less developed, rich, and fertile plantation areas. We did see some banana plantations. There is a high poverty rate in Swaziland and it is not as “rich” as Soth Africa.




Border Checkpoint
At the border crossing, we had to disembark from the bus to go through border checks. We each had to show our passport, and walk over a border gate. It was a very friendly and casual checkpoint, a rather interesting checkpoint experience.


Matsamo Customs and Tradition Center
After passing the border crossing, we arrived at the Matsamo Customs and Tradition Center. Here is a place where they showcase Swazi arts, culture, and lifestyle.

Swazi Traditional Meal (Lunch)
We were served a traditional Eswatini lunch. The cuisine of Swaziland is largely determined by the seasons and the geographical region. Staple foods in Swaziland include sorghum (cereal grain) and maize, often served with goat meat, extremely popular livestock in the Swazi region. The menu was remarkably interesting, with food that we were not entirely used to, such as, thick porridge, ground corn, dried uncooked meat (biltong), whole maize, traditionally brewed beer.


Swazi Traditional Village
At the heart of the center, we were introduced to two Swazi villages. Our excellent guide (she spoke excellent English) from the cultural center gave us a walk around explaining the village lifestyle. It was most enlightening and eye-opening.
Our delightful local Swazi guide was very extremely cheerful and comical. She spoke very good English. She gave us some interesting lifestyle descriptions about the Cultural Village and how the family unit works. It was very educational to see and hear about a totally different culture, compared to where we came from in North America.
- A traditional African village is organized around family relationships and creates household activity areas and places for special occasions.
- The grandfather, or the oldest male family member, would have the main say in what goes on in the family.
- The male members are usually separated from the female members and children.
- We could walk around the village. The main hut (Indlunkulu) or grandmother’s hut, with her kitchen (lidladla) and storeroom (silulu).
- Usually, the man has several wives, and they would live in the same village and are united as an entire family unit.
- In the village, we saw there was a main hurt (Grandmother’s hurt), girls’ hurt, boys’ hurt, kitchen, brewing hurt, wives’ hurts, First and Second wives’ hurt, master hurt, a men’s kraal, maize creep, chicken nests and crop field. The lifestyle was so foreign to all of us, but it was a most enjoyable tour of the village and the African lifestyle.
- Cattle and goats are important animals too as they resemble the wealth of the family and are kept in small cages right in their village.







Swazi Dance
We enjoyed a live Swazi dance with a full show with very colorful costumes. The dances performed several traditional Swazi dances and along the way, they told stories of the famous legend of the tribe and Swazi fairy tales. We were all so appreciative of the entertainment and learned a lot from what we saw, heard, and experienced. Thank you to the cultural center for educating us tourists to the Swazi people, culture, and tradition. The impactful dance video can be seen in this video.
Video of Dance and Song from the Swazi Culture
We hope you will have an idea of the Swazi Dance and Song from this video. We found their languge so different from English. Their dance movements were very interesting and reflects their lifestyle.
A most educational visit to Matsamo Customs and Tradition Center (Swaziland)
We ended our educational and enlightening visit at the Matsamo Customs and Tradition Center by visiting their Curio Shop, where they sold Swazi cultural products. Creative basket ware, wood and stone carvings, glassware, batik, and jewelry. We bid farewell to our new Swaziland friends as we boarded the coach to our next Eswatini destination.
Shopping at the Ezulwini Craft Market, Swaziland
We traveled via the capital city Mbabane, and on the beautiful Ezulwini Valley for a true African shopping experience at the Ezulwini Craft Market, which is packed with woven baskets, beadwork, and carvings. It is at this market that Peter bought an elephant skin waist belt. We also bought several miniature wooden carvings of African animals. These animals sit on our staircase landing, reminding us of our memorable trip to Africa and the beautiful country and people of eSwatini.

Royal Swazi Spa, Swaziland
After a tiring but rewarding journey, we arrived at the Royal Swazi Spa. The resort is situated in a tranquil setting of the Ezulwini Valley. This is Swaziland at its finest. This resort has an 18 hole championship golf course. For those golfers in our contingent, they could only lookout to admire the beauty of the golf course. We enjoyed the dinner and the ambiance of the resort.







Summary of the Day
We had a full day, but I was interested in the Song and Dance of the Swazi women. There is so much more than meets the eye. As I researched the meaning of the song and dance of the Swazi women, I came to understand a little more of the significance and meaning in the Swazi women’s traditional songs. Patriarchy, capitalism, and colonization have intersected in the struggle to maintain control over women. The Swazi rural women’s traditional songs are recorded partly as a way to communicate women’s experiences and, in so doing, to interrupt patriarchal relations. There is so much to learn about the lives of Swazi rural women. To truly understand the country, it is deep-rooted in women’s lives, traditions, and culture over many centuries.
Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon. Jorrie Norton Rupert
Thank you for visiting. Please come again.
So glad you found my site! Please reach out to me on Instagram, too! Anthe Paquito Dora
Thank you for visiting.
I like a very useful article, I like our page and follow it Sapphire Wilek Joaquin
Thank you for visiting.
yes I want to write poems I think I need a pulisher Terza Raviv Waldo
Thank you for visiting.
Hello there. I discovered your blog by means of Google whilst searching for a related topic, your web site came up. It seems to be great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to visit then. Jacqui Lin Moffat
Thank you for visiting my website. Hope to see you again.
That was amazingly beautiful and so on track with what I feel happened in 2017. Looking forward to a powerful and stronger and more genuine 2018. Thank you Mallorie Husein Callie
Thank you for visiting.
I really enjoy the blog article. Thanks Again. Great. Annecorinne Barret Yasui
Happy you enjoyed the blog post. Stay tuned as I hope to write more on Canada road trips.
Hi there. I discovered your web site by way of Google even as looking for a similar matter, your site got here up. It looks good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to visit then. Lorraine Jerrold Lindblad
Thank you for visiting. Glad to hear you enjoyed it and have bookmarked it. I hope to write more about Canada travels.
It would be great to try this theme for my businesses Patrica Everard Phil
Excellent. Thanks for your comments. Good luck with your business.
If some one needs to be updated with hottest technologies afterward he must be visit this site and be up to date all the time.| Calli Bertram Felice
Thank you for your comments.
You know mamaearth is my favourite brand and I am using most of its products. You penned down this article very well, thanks for sharing. Arlen Gerhard Kattie
Thanks for your comments.
Pellentesque pulvinar dolor eu erat aliquet iaculis. Ut lacus lectus, scelerisque at mi id, pharetra mollis elit. Fusce diam mi, laoreet non luctus, iaculis a risus. Phasellus volutpat ipsum id facilisis sagittis. Integer eget laoreet nibh. Nullam fringilla sem rhoncus felis suscipit accumsan. Farand Serge Zina
Thanks for your comments.
Thank you for visiting.
There are some intriguing moments in this short article yet I don?t recognize if I see every one of them facility to heart. There is some credibility but I will certainly hold opinion up until I explore it further. Good short article, thanks as well as we want extra! Included in FeedBurner also Katrinka Cleve Reidar
Thanks for your comments. Will certainly write more.
Thank you for visiting and providing your comments.
Wow, awesome blog layout! How lengthy have you been running a blog for? Melissa Rodrick Elon
Hi Melissa, Thank you for your encouraging comments. We started writing around July 2020, about 6 months ago. We hope to write more for our readers. Thanks.
Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back
to your weblog? My blog site is in the exact same area of interest as yours and my users would genuinely benefit from some
of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this ok with
you. Thanks a lot!
Hi there, Thank you for dropping by. Please use my content if it helps others. Thanks.
You should take part in a contest for one of the best blogs on the internet.
I most certainly will highly recommend this web site!
Hi there, your comment is very kind. Thank you for dropping by.
Excellent blog!
Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers?
I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little
lost on everything. Would you advise starting with a
free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option?
There are so many options out there that I’m completely overwhelmed ..
Any recommendations? Appreciate it!
Thanks for dropping by.
Good post. I’m facing some of these issues as well..
Thanks for your comments.
It’s perfect time to make some plans for the future and it is time to
be happy. I’ve learn this submit and if I may just I
want to suggest you some interesting things or advice.
Maybe you can write next articles referring to this article.
I wish to read more issues approximately it!
I’ve been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or
blog posts on this kind of space . Exploring in Yahoo I ultimately stumbled upon this web site.
Studying this info So i’m happy to show that I have an incredibly good uncanny
feeling I discovered just what I needed. I so much definitely will make certain to
do not overlook this site and give it a look on a relentless basis.
For hottest information you have to pay a quick visit world-wide-web and on the web I found this website as a most excellent
web site for latest updates.
Who travels for love finds a thousand miles not longer than one.
Great post.