"OUT OF AFRICA"........once upon a time.-Part 2

........Continued

Swazi culture is the epitome of ethnic pride and the country is a repository of age old African wisdom and an example of a perfect blend of the ancient with the modern. On our first trip there, on landing at the airport, it was an amazing sight that greeted us......all around were Swazi nationals dressed in their traditional national dress called Emahiya, a toga like top and a patterened skirt of bright hues going about their business with their spears in one hand and leather brief cases in the other. They drive around in their BMW's or Mercedes' with their national dress and head gear of feathers , and an occasional flash of a Rado or Omega wrist watches seem to proclaim to the world how well they have retained the old while accepting the new. The present ruler King Mswati 111 is an Oxford undergraduate and most of his council of Ministers have all been educated in England.
The secret to understanding the essence of this ancient African society lies in their two ceremonies that have remained unchanged for centuries. The 'Umhalanga ' or Reed Dance pays homage to the Queen Mother and the ' Incwala ' pays homage to the King.
The ' Umhalanga ' Reed Dance is a top tourist attraction in Swaziland and provides an unique opportunity to see the monarchy as a cohesive force that binds the people and unites the nation.This is an occasion when all unmarried maidens gather together to collect reeds and bring back to the residence of the Queen Mother who is referred to as ' Indlovukasi ' meaning " She Elephant". Her Majesty is the symbolic feminine role model of the nation.
This eight day ceremony is held at the palace of the Queen Mother. The reeds were used in ancient times to construct windbreakers around the royal dwelling. Today she lives in a huge mansion on a sprawling estate and with all the modern day amenities and this can hold a candle to any present day mansion in Beverly Hills as it is constantly up dated . Yet traditions are maintained strictly and the reeds are collected by young maidens as in the days of yore. On the final day alone outsiders and diplomatic corps are invited to witness the kaleidoscope of colourful costumes and beads and feathers that adorn the participants as they perform their ritualistic dances in gay abandon.There are thousandas of young maidens from all walks of life who take part, for behind all this frenzy of singing and dancing, a major event takes place each year. The king will choose a bride from amongst them....'Swayamvaram ' Swazi style if you please !!
The girl who gets chosen will be notified by the elders in the clan about this good fortune. Her entire family will benefit with huge gifts of herds of cattle as dowry known as Lobola and it also meant a rise in their social status. As for the girl, she will move into the royal quarters and not have any contact with commoners and hence forth it will be a luxurious life in a gilded cage with palace intrigues for entertainment and long waits for the King to visit her according to his whims ! It is considered the greatest fortune to get this status accorded in Swazi society. Young girls today however beg to differ we hear and are opting out to go abroad and strike out on their own as they value their freedom more than anything else.
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Dear Chechi,

This again is really very interesting. The dress is something that I am quite intrigued with Emahiya.
The dances again seem to be very entertaining ones.The whole scene comes to me as full of life and wonderfully cinematic.
The Queen Mother really seems to be worshipped there.Indlovukasi.
TheSwayamvar is so much like we had here and nice to know how the girls life gets transformed!!

Loved reading this . Sounded very fairytale like! And I also learned some new words!!

Devikutty.

Dear Paulina
These people's life style is really unique.
hmmm...........the way the king choose his wife...........why they don't have queen choosing her huasband. I feel sorry for these queens brought and kept in the golden cage type it is.
This is really interesting to read.

Some pictures of Umhalanga Reed Dance

Hi Queeny,

I am following you and enjoying all the eye candy your producing in the form of these lovely pics. Great ones dear!!

Love,
Devika

Hahahaha thanks Devika
Paulina knows why I am doing this for her.............hehehe I enjoyed the write up just giving a little bit of colour with these pictures........

Aruna Habibi,
Such lovely pictures again ...you can see those reeds there. It is not an easy task to spend eight days doing this and getting scratched all over in the bargain All participants get fabulous gifts and their families are treated to sumptous feasts on all those days .The outsiders ..diplomats and other local dignitaries get invited to the banquet in the evening and luncheon at noon.
It had a fairy tale atmosphere all the time like I said

warm regards
PAULINA

Paulina,
This is a great episode. I enjoyed reading the Swazi experience. Will read the other two parts also.

My dear Paulina,
I simply enjoyed the reed dance.How nice it would be to dance with them!
As for the young girls chosen by the king to be one among his wives,you have put it nicely,

As for the girl, she will move into the royal quarters and not have any contact with commoners and hence forth it will be a luxurious life in a gilded cage with palace intrigues for entertainment and long waits for the King to visit her according to his whims
I feel sorry for the plight of those unfortunate girls,and am happy that girls belonging to this age prefer to go abroad ,study and make their own choice.
love
mithila kannan

My dear Mithila,

Glad to know you enjoyed reading about the uniqueness of Swazi culture.

Their social system is very much tied to the monarchy to this day.The 21st century has seen a lot of changes no doubt and young girls are more adventurous and leave home to greener pastures once they become economically independent.
However this system of the king choosing a bride each year is still prevalent .The only gain is for the family members of the girl who literally esperience a rags to riches transformation in their lives.One can only marvel that this system is still in existence to this day.
The contradiction lies in the fact that Swaziland having been a British Protectorate boasts of excellent academic education and many Sawzi's are Oxford graduates who speak impeccable Queens English.The local schools are of a very high standard and follow the British curriculum of 'O' Levels and 'A 'levels exams.They have excellent boarding schools and a lot of the children of expatriates attended these residential schools.
Our elder daughter completed her 'O' Levels from the International school in Mozambique and joined Waterford School in Swaziland to pursue the IB ...International Baccaulaureate course for 2 years.Prince Charles was the patron of Waterford school in those years.
So you see the beauty of it.....one side you have these" prim and propah " Swazi
school girls and the other side you can see these very same kids taking part in the yearly ritual of the REED DANCE !!
As I said those were the days before the digital cameras came into vogue.
If you are keen to see pictures I would recommend the website ........

Swazi Reed Dance Photo Gallery by Tessa Joughin at pbase.com

This has very detailed pictures of the whole ceremony.

warm regards
PAULINA