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A hidden entrance to an enchanting getaway.

This weekend I celebrated Austrialian Day here in Swaziland with a wonderful bunch of Aussie volunteers. Snags on the barbie and a luscious pavlova were on the menu…at Rock Lodge. An amazing local livelihood project south west of Malkerns at a little community called Ngwempisi, the lodge was built in 2004 and looked like something out of the Hobbit. A South African designer was brought in to execute the plan — a three-story structure built around some monstrous boulders. No electricity, open air, propane tanks provided cooking fuel, and yet running water that was potable!  And to top it off, an outdoor, flush toilet and glorious shower! A steep 1/2 km below us was a wonderful river to swim in (no Bilharzia, fast running water, fingers crossed). Two separate dorm-type rooms offered more than enough bunk beds for our 12-person group, firewood for the BBQ pit was provided upon our request and a guide was arranged to take the group down to the river (a little hard to find on your own). A Swaziland adventure to savour…

A gorgeous respite in rural Swaziland!

Fellow volunteer Camille shouldering the boulders..

Take me to the river!

Water was far too fast for crocs or hippos…but super refreshing.

Chillin’ on the terrace.

Sleeping with nature.

Our boulder neighbour dude.

The superstar goat at the top of the hill.

SWAGAA’S VOICE IN A STORY THAT APPEARED IN TIMES OF SWAZILAND JAN. 18th, 2013  http://www.times.co.sz/News/83642.html

The Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGGA) has said abducting young girls for the purpose of having sexual intercourse with them is a crime and cannot be cloaked under the guise of ‘traditional marriage’.The organisation was reacting to a story that appeared in this publication yesterday, where a 21- year-old man abducted a 15- year-old girl for the purpose of traditionally marrying her.

Mfanufikile Dlamini, of Maphalaleni, was arrested and charged for abducting the girl with intent to have sexual intercourse with her or to marry her. He, on Wednesday, appeared before Mbabane Magistrate Phathaphatha Mdluli, who cautioned and discharged him.

Dlamini claimed he was preparing to marry the young girl and had already introduced her to his parents.

SWAGAA Communications Officer, Maureen Littlejohn, said although traditionalists such as acting Ludzidzini Governor, Timothy Velabo Mtetwa, have said underage girls can traditionally marry as long as they and their parents have agreed, this notion was highly disturbing.

“Swazi law states it is illegal to engage in sexual relationships with girls under the age of 16 (Girls And Women’s Protection Act of 1920).

“What is most disturbing is the fact that most of these ‘marriages’ are forced, with the young girls having little or no say in being married to much older men. “The situation is often forced because either the family wants to receive payment or, if sexual relations have occurred (usually forced upon the girl), the family wants to save face.”

She said they have read many tragic stories in the newspapers recently involving these types of marriages; from girls being forced to marry after being raped, to getting pregnant and dropping out of school as well as attempting suicide.

Littlejohn said what these girls were enduring in the name of ‘traditional marriage’ was a human rights violation.

She said Swaziland signed the Human Rights Declaration and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“The Children’s Protection and Welfare Act of 2012 received assent from King Mswati III to protect the lives and dignity of all children in Swaziland.

“Protecting young Swazi girls from traditional marriages that they don’t want is a matter of principle. It is not a complicated legal issue, but is simply a matter of upholding human rights and Swazi law,” she said.

HERE ARE SOME FACTS THAT THE SWAGAA LEGAL DEPARTMENT PUT TOGETHER…

Is early or forced marriage legal?
Marriage by definition is a formalised, binding partnership between consenting adults. An early or forced marriage however refers to the marriage a child, usually someone under 18. Although the Marriage Act, 1964 stipulates the minimum age for a civil rites marriage, there is no corresponding provision for a customary marriage. Unfortunately in Swaziland there is a prevalent culture of young girls being forced into marriage, usually in terms of Swazi Law and Custom.
According to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) – marriage before the age of 18 shouldn’t be allowed since children don’t have the ‘full maturity and capacity to act.’  The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that marriage should be ‘entered only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.’ Where one of the parties getting married is under 18, consent cannot always be assumed to be ‘free and full.’  There are many reasons why girls are forced into marriage in Swaziland. These may include: gender inequality – women and girls often occupy a lower status as a result of social and cultural traditions, attitudes, beliefs that deny them their rights and stifle their ability to play an equal role in their homes and communities.
•    Poverty – in families on a low income, girls may be viewed as an economic burden. The perception of girls’ potential to earn an income as comparatively poor pushes girls out of their homes and into marriage
•    Negative traditional or religious practices –     such as the importance attributed to preserving family ‘honour’ usually where the girl child has fallen pregnant before marriage or whilst at school. There is a belief that marriage safeguards against ‘immoral’ or ‘inappropriate behaviour’ which results in parents pushing their daughters into marriage well before they are ready. A lot of it, though, is due to the failure to enforce laws. Sometimes families are not even aware they are breaking the law. In some countries early marriage is so prevalent, prosecutions are seldom brought

What are the consequences of early and forced marriage?
Early and forced marriage further drives girls into a cycle of poverty and powerlessness. They are likely to experience:
•    violence, abuse and forced sexual relations – women who marry younger are more likely to be beaten and to believe that husbands can justify it
•    poor sexual and reproductive health – young married girls are more likely to contract HIV than their unmarried counterparts because of their greater sexual exposure, often with an older husband who by virtue of his age is more at risk of being HIV positive
•    illiteracy and lack of education – girls tend to drop out of school shortly before or when they get married. There is a commonplace view that once a girl is married she has crossed the threshold into adulthood and no longer needs an education.
Getting and keeping girls in school may be one of the best ways to foster later, consensual marriage, while also contributing the delayed sexual initiation, lower rates of HIV and AIDs and greater gender equality.
Swaziland is a signatory to many of the conventions that are relevant to forced and early marriage. The Child Protection and Welfare Act of 2012 also provides that a child  has a right to refuse to be compelled to undergo or uphold any custom or practices that are likely to negatively affect the child’s life.  SWAGAA calls for the proper enforcement of such provisions in Swaziland to ensure that the rights, dignity of every child is safeguarded and girls can also reach their potential in life

A mining town that was first build in the 1930s, Bulembu has the feeling of a place lost in time.

Recently, I had a wonderful, magical time in a place called Bulembu, located in the northern Hhohho region of Swaziland, 18 km west of the town of Pigg’s Peak. The steep, gravelly, 18 km road requires a 4×4 vehicle, so the place doesn’t get a lot of visitors. Built in 1937 by British asbestos mining company Turner & Newall, the 1,700-hectre-town of 10,000 people was a bustling hive of activity until the mine shut down in 2001.

In it’s prime, Bulembu employed 4,000 at the mine and the community swelled with families and other businesses. Nestled in the soft green hills of the Hhohoho region,  it had the feel of a forgotten Alps village. Blue, yellow and red worker’s cottages dotted the hills. A large white building that once housed administrative offices had been converted to a handicrafts centre. A faded Bulembu Groceries sign showed where the population used to stock up on staples. A cracked, concrete basketball court lay at the foot of a mound of tailings in the centre of town.

Gorgeous English-style gardens!

Despite some frayed edges, Bulembu was not an uninhabited ghost town. The lawns were neatly clipped. Cheerful Shasta daisies, fragrant pink roses and sapphire blue agagapathas waved from English-style gardens. The Bluembu name and shield logo were freshly painted onto the sides of many buildings, indicating a honey processing plant, dairy, water bottling plant, sawmill and hospitality training centre. The former mine manager’s house had been transformed into a tourist lodge, schools offered primary and secondary education, churches called the faithful, and a bakery filled the air with the scent of fresh-baked bread.

A super entertaining talent show by Bulembu residents.

After the mine shut down, the town became a desolate and bleak space, especially for the many Swazis who depended on it for their livelihoods. In 2004, however, a team of Christian entrepreneurs and social developers breathed new life into the community. They created a haven for 300 orphans, in response to the devastation caused by HIV/AIDS in Swaziland. (With the highest incidence of the disease in the world, a whole generation of parents has been wiped.) The pool, that once serviced the mining community, rang with the excited shouts of children and I was told the cinema was now used for special movie nights.

Digging around on the internet, I found a couple of newspaper articles about Bulembu. They noted that Bulembu Ministries is the engine that runs the town. The man behind the rebirth is Volker Wagner, a Vancouver-based Christian social entrepreneur who made millions in the printing and marketing business. One of Canada’s richest men, Jim Pattison, also a born-again Christian, gave the initial $1.5 million to establish water, sewage and electricity infrastructure. According to the newspaper articles, it cost a cool $9 million to get the place up and running. Wagner stated there was no proselytizing in Bulembu, but there no quibbling about the Christian focus of the project. A donation appeal card that I picked up in the museum confirmed this, stating, “Bulembu is a not-for-profit organization serving Jesus Christ by restoring hope to the people of Swaziland through community enterprise and community care.”

While I was there, I met people from the surrounding communities who were employed in the town’s various enterprises, including the lodge, which had guest rooms and a restuarant in the former manager’s house, self-catering options in four former senior management homes, and a hostel dormitory. Staff, who were graduates of the community’s hospitality training centre, were courteous and extremely helpful. Everywhere I went I was greeted with smiles and handshakes.

Lovely terrace at the main lodge.

I was traveling with my friend Isabel and we opt to stay in Hyde Park, a self-catering cottage with full kitchen, living room, dining room, two bathrooms and four bedrooms. There was even a working fireplace since winters get quite chilly. We had it all to ourselves for E362 ($45 Cdn) each per night. It was clean, bright and extremely spacious. We slept like babies that night. Dinner and breakfast were in the main lodge since we did not come equipped with groceries. The dinner set menu featured roast chicken that night, but we could also order from a lighter menu that offered pizza and salads. At breakfast there was a choice between a hot menu with eggs, bacon and sausage or a lighter cold breakfast with cereal yogurt, fruit, juice, toast, coffee and tea.

Visitors can hike, bike, shop for handicrafts or take a tour of the town. We enquired about a tour. “It won’t be possible right now,” lodge manager Sibusiso Magagula informed us. “We had a guide, but he was defrauding us. We are in the process of finding another one.”

Went swimming in this beautiful spot, just a 15-minute hike from the lodge.

Instead, we walked down to the museum, just around the corner from the lodge. Admission was E20 ($2.50 Cdn.) The sign noted that it covered Swazi history, mining and colonialsm. Open for about four months, the museum was filled with old mining apparatus, as well as the accoutrements of daily life. Equipment from the clinic, desks from the original classrooms, an intact office complete with manual typewriter, trophies from town sports competitions and mineral samples of serpentine and asbestos gave visitors a vivid picture of Swazi history, geology and mine life. Curator Bob Forrester has done an excellent job with time lines and history. The wall plaque explanations were careful, full of context and neatly pointed out how colonialism created white elites and treated local peoples as children.

I learned that in the late 1800s after the gold ran out, the mine lay abandoned. In the process of digging for gold, asbestos was discovered, but there was no market for it. That changed at the start of World War Two when asbestos was used for multiple purposes, including brake pads and fireproof textiles. The asbestos mine ran continually for more than 60 years and they say there is still enough of the mineral to keep it going. One descriptive plaque noted that in 2001 the Swazi government demanded bribes for the annual operating license. This was the first time they had done this. The mine refused and it shut down. Reading between the lines, I believe there were probably a few other reasons for the closure. Turner & Newall went bankrupt in 1991 and the company that took over the mine went into liquidation in 2001. Class action suits against asbestos mining companies were happening at that time and likely influenced the decision. The history recounted in the museum noted that after the mine closed down an American law firm placed ads in Swazi newspapers asking former employees who had suffered from asbestos-related health conditions to step forward for a class action suit. Apparently nobody did.

These days there’s still a big hill of chrysotile asbestos tailings in the middle of town. According to the museum, air checks have been done and have come up clean.

My fingers are crossed that this is true, because Bulembu seemed more like a slice of heaven than a health hazard. It’s hard to predict the future for the town and its residents, but I can only wish the best for them. From a bleak place full of despair, Bulembu has become a testament to hope.

Before Christmas, there was a so-called “Mini-Skirt” march in Manzini to bring attention to the fact that women are harassed and even raped at the bus rank for wearing short skirts. Police said they could only march if they put on longer skirts…so the girls did, and then did a big rant in Jubilee Park, “Sister sister, my vagina belongs to me and nobody else.” Here’s the fruit of their labours..a law banning mini skirts, but not the annual ceremony before the king where everything hangs out. What a country! Check this link..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2252955/Rape-provoking-miniskirts-crop-tops-banned-king-Swaziland-offenders-facing-months-jail.html

Mini Skirt March in Manzini, Dec. 7, 2012. Police said they could only march if they put on longer skirts, long shorts or pants.

Official costume at Umhlanga, where maidens dance for the King, and many, many Chinese tourists.

The King, the police and the tourists are all good with the official attire at Umhlanga, the annual Reed Dance ceremony.

After a hectic five months, my holidays have arrived! I took off for Kruger Park and Mozambique shortly after my birthday, which was a lovely present. It took around 6 hours to get to Kruger from Manzini. Our little bungalow was tight but did the trick. Three bats in the curtains the first night! The rest of the game we saw was even more amazing. A pride of lions…at least 15 of them, during our night drive. During the day we saw tons of hippos, elephants, zebras, impala and quite a few rhino. I love the elephants and rhinos best. Such lovely majestic big beasts.

Following Kruger, we headed to Mozambique. Stayed in a sweet rest spot called Casa Lisa and then on to Tofo Bay. This is where the whale shark supposedly hang out. Unfortunatley, overfishing (nets) and too much curious human activity have driven them from the area. The tour info doesn’t tell you that of course. Oh well. We swam in an aqua Indian Ocean, saw dolphins and tons of small fish, lounged on sugary sand beaches, met fantastic fellow travellers and generally did not want to leave. Prawns and fresh fish can be bought at the local market. Coconuts are everywhere, people are lovely and friendly – patty caking with all the local children. Music booms from every grass shack. Our accommodation, Turtle Cove was lovely, off the beach, but very chill and fantastic food. Couldn’t have asked for more.

Now we are back in Manzini and had a wonderful Christmas dinner with some fellow expat volunteers, and Swazi friends. Turkey and creamed spinach and trifle. Yum! I feel very blessed to have been able to skype with my family back in freezing Ottawa. Saw the snow!! yeow!

We’ll be travelling Swaziland in the next week and visiting friends. It’s full on summer, so very warm. Any chance to swim is good.

Merry Christmas to all my readers. I appreciate your interest and support and wish you the best of the best in 2013!

The mini skirt march almost didn’t happen. The police thought the girls were “indecently dressed.” Ironically, they had to change into jeans and longer skirts. Doubly ironic considering the barely-there “cultural” attire at the Reed Dance!

As tomorrow is the final day of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign, I thought I’d tally up the week’s awareness-raising accomplishments. On Tuesday, I accompanied Doreen, the Girls Empowerment Club co-coordinator, to the Swaziland Broadcasting station (SBIS) where she did a terrific phone-in radio show. Some of the callers wanted to know why men aren’t targeted during the campaign. They are, but with 77% of the survivors being women, well, they get the lion’s share of attention. We did have one man come and speak at the launch about the financial abuse he suffered at the hands of his wife’s family, who cleared out his home when she died. Nomthandazo, SWAGAA’s child counselor, did three radio shows on Voice of Church, talking about child, adult and youth sexual abuse. I wrote a half page advertorial that ran in the Times about the link between gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS. I also had an article on the same topic published by The Nation magazine. Wednesday I spoke at the Girls Empowerment Club stakeholders’ meeting, with 50 girls club members, about why we were wearing the white ribbon on our chests and what wonderful ambassadors the girls are 365 days of the year, helping to report cases of abuse and spreading the word on how to prevent it. Friday was the mini-skirt march and the UN Women’s Ride On, Men Speak Out campaign, where bikers from eight countries rode through Manzini in support of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign. I personally got to pin white ribbons on all these tough, burly and hugely supportive fellows!

Tomorrow is the last day of the campaign. There’s going to be a media breakfast at Mountain Inn. The Deputy Prime Minister’s office will make remarks, as will the executive director of SWAGAA. Ntombi Nyoni, the SWAGAA legal officer, will discuss the Gender Protocol Barometer, a monitoring of gender policies throughout Southern Africa. There will also be a media Q&A session. Newspapers, radio and TV have been very influential in getting the message out this year and the Gender Consortium, (I’m on the Media Committee), is very thankful.

Even though tomorrow is the end of the campaign, the work will continue to roll forward. Behaviour change is the most difficult kind of change. The message may have been dispersed, but now we have to see it put into action.

Explaining the connection between GBV and HIV/AIDS to dignitaries at the Mavuso Centre in Manzini.

On Friday, Nov. 30, Swaziland celebrated World AIDS day with a march and a presentation for 500 people at the Mavuso Trade Centre in Manzini. Two thirds of the people in attendance were from government, including police and correctional services.

I lined up for the march at 8 am and got one of the few remaining t-shirts, which a staff member at SWAGAA quickly commandeered from me when she didn’t receive one. Oh well, I didn’t come to Swaziland for the t-shirts.

Swaziland has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the world. The SDHS 2007 study showed that 26 percent of the population aged 15-49 was infected with HIV/AIDS. Anti retroviral drugs have improved the average lifespan from around 33 in 2006 to around the mid-to-high 40s today. I use the word “around”  because health care practitioners here have told me the statistics are notoriously unreliable.

At a meeting led by the National Emergency Response Council on HIV and AIDS, (NERCHA) that I attended prior to this year’s World AIDS Day events, we were told, “Don’t use the word ‘success’ but ‘achievements.’ We still have a long way to go.” An article in the newspaper the same day said the 75 percent of deaths in Swaziland were due to AIDS.

SWAGAA had an exhibitor’s stall at the event and we handed out information about gender-base violence. When dignitaries came to our booth, I told them about the link between gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS. It seems obvious, but not everyone thinks about it. When a woman is being beaten or raped, it is unlikely a condom will be used. Tears in the genital area offer an easy pathway for the infection to travel. Then there are the indirect ways GBV is linked to HIV/AIDS. If someone has been sexually abused, especially as a child, they may suffer low self-esteem and become promiscuous or go into prostitution.  Or, they may become drug addicts. This risky behavior can lead to infection.

Why is the HIV virus spreading at such an alarming rate in Swaziland? Most HIV/AIDS organizations  focus on behavior. Swaziland is on the border of Mozambique and South Africa. Truck drivers or migrant workers stopping for causal or paid sex transmit the disease. Then there’s something called Multiple Concurrent Partners (MCP). Many people sleep with a few partners at the same time. This could be transactional sex, to help pay for school fees or groceries. It might be to pay back a cheating partner; it might be due to loneliness when a partner spends months away on work contracts. Swaziland has high unemployment. It’s expensive to live here and school fees for rural people, dependent on subsistence farming, are high. Then there is patriarchy and polygamy. There are many prevalent scenarios. Men feel it is their right to have multiple wives and yet often they are unable or unwilling to take care of them, and their children. Young girls become pregnant and have no support from their families or the man who made them pregnant. Women are discouraged from talking about sex culturally, so often there is sexual dissatisfaction in a marriage. The spiral goes on and on.

Here are some quotes from Swazi participants in a study published in Onelove, a 2008 10-country research report funded by Irish Aid, DFID, and the European Union amongst other donors. The report says young people are often pressured by their peers to acquire material possessions they cannot afford and so they become involved with an older person who provides these things in exchange for sex. Here, it’s called ‘Intergenerational sex.’ A participant noted, “It’s the relationship between teachers and students yet the teacher has got a wife or a girlfriend and at the same time the student has got a boyfriend.” The report also noted that polygamy and gender inequality create serious power imbalances that fuel MCP.

HIV/AIDS continues to spread in Swaziland, but not at quite the pace of the mid-2000s. Achievements, not success. The big theme at  this year’s event  was about getting to zero infections. Tackle the root causes of behavior and there might be a chance.

In light of my last posting, I thought this update on the Senate’s defense of so called “customs” that are harmful to women in Swaziland was very interesting….

UPDATE ON SEXUAL OFFENCES AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BILL

Courtesy: The Centre for Human Rights and Development

http://allafrica.com/stories/201211091267.html

The plight of women in Swaziland is far from over as parliamentarians opposed the protection of women from stalking. Senators were discussing the longstanding Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Bill of 2000 yesterday. The proposed law seeks to protect among others women from unlawful stalking.

The senators argued that stalking was part of social cultural norms hence proscribing it will violate the culture of Swazis. According to the Times of Swaziland (8 November at page 5) one senator decried the criminalization of forced marriages saying that such custom was more important as it ensured that a girl’s father was able to benefit from his daughter’s marriage since the girl would be given to a man who has cattle to pay lobola.

Culture has continued to be used as a shield to condone the violation of human rights in Swaziland. During this time of the year a group of men identifying themselves as members of the”water party,”( a group of men who are commissioned by royalty to traverse the country ahead of the annual incwala ceremony), go around the country harassing and imposing fine on women who are not properly dressed according to Swazi cultural norms.

This is despite the Constitution guaranteeing the protection of women from deleterious customs. The Swazi Constitution also contains equality and non-discrimination clauses which ought to serve as a yardstick for the treatment of women.

Swaziland is party to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and other regional and international human rights instruments having a bearing on women, hence the continued violation of women rights on the basis of culture demonstrates the country’ failure to comply to its international obligations. During Swaziland’s human rights review session in March this year, several recommendations were made regarding the protection of women which Swaziland accepted and undertook to take action. It is disheartening to see parliamentarians openly condoning discriminatory customs as one would have hoped to see positive action being taken to eliminate such practices.

Swazi women performers at the cultural village in Ezulweni.

The words “traditional culture” come up again and again when I read the newspaper and speak with Swazi friends. Usually it’s a point of pride, but occasionally the phrase becomes a catch-all excuse for behaviour that doesn’t really jibe with 21^st century norms. For instance, a man accused of beating a child or abusing a woman will quite often defend himself, saying “this is my traditional culture.” Plus, there is quite a lot of confusion about “Human Rights” versus “Respect.” My colleagues at SWAGAA who go out to the rural communities have told me time and time again that male leaders are very suspicious about the promotion of human rights because they believe human rights allow women and children to disrespect their traditional laws and customs. Ahh. It other words they fear losing their absolute grip on authority.

Swaziland’s version of Pioneer Village.

Swaziland is a country full of contradictions, just like any place. To get a little insight on the “traditions,” I visited a cultural village in Ezulweni. Built for tourists on a lovely piece of forested land with frothing rapids, the village demonstrates what Swazi life was like 100 years ago, and some of it still holds true today.

Checking out one of the compound’s beehive huts. These aren’t used very much anymore, but the traditional social norms from these times are alive and well.

Swaziland’s social structure is based on clans that intermingle through marriage. In a “traditional” marriage the bridgroom’s family pays “lobola” a dowry, in the form of cattle, in keeping with the status of the bride’s family. Our guide noted the usual bride price was 17 head of cattle for a virgin. At a party I attended recently, a well lubricated Swazi guest noted he’d pay 24 cattle for my Australian friend Isabel. She said she’d cost way more.

Lead male dancer at the cultural village.

When a groom pays lobola, any child born of the union belongs to the father’s family. This can get quite complicated if the father dies and the mother wants to remarry. In fact, widows often have a really difficult time here since “traditionally” the deceased husband’s land, belongings etc. revert to his side of the family and a widow will find her home cleared of possessions if she leaves it unprotected. Although constitutionally women have rights and can own land, traditionally they are treated like minors. Patriarchy is very much the norm in Swaziland and women often have a difficult time enacting their constitutional rights.

Traditional male group dancing demonstration at the cultural village.

I’ve written about the Umhlanga Dance, where girls don tiny skirts and sashes and perform before the King and Queen Mother. The men’s equivalent celebration and right of passage is the Incwala ceremony, which is held in December. “Bemanti” (people of the water”) go to the Indian Ocean to collect water, a symbolic act connected to the king’s power, and return to the royal kraal in Lobamba (the King’s spiritual home). On the full moon, youths from all over the kingdom travel to collect scared branches of the “lusekwane” shrub (a species of acacia). On the third day of the ceremony a bull is ritually slaughtered by the youths to instill solidarity. I have read various salacious pieces on the Internet about this practice, which involves the King. Not going to comment here. On the fourth day the King dons his ceremonial garb and joins his “warriors” in a traditional dance. Boys in Swazi culture are part of regiments that perform dances together during Incwala. The ceremony concludes with rituals involving the harvest and blessings of the ancestors. This year the Incwala ceremony will be around the end of December. That’s one way to ring in the new year.

Rapids running through the cultural village property. Gorgeous.

Unbelievable creativity -- Alice in Africaland!

Last weekend I attended the Mustard Seed Africa Rural to Ramp fashion show at House on Fire, a popular live music venue on the way to Malkerns. The event was a stunner, highlighting the creativity of handcraft producers in the area, including Gone Rural, Quazi Design, Giraffe, Golden Hands, Imvelo Eswatini, Baobab Batik, Pachimana, Zuwa, Priestess and Lillian Jane Jewelry. Many of these organizations work with impoverished women, employing their handcraft skills and paying them fair trade wages. Even though Swaziland has been rated a  “lower-middle-income” country by the World Bank, poverty is rampant, and women are especially vulnerable in this patriarchal society (traditional social systems say they can’t own land, and access to education is poor.). According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, the wealthiest 10 per cent of the country account for nearly half of total consumption while 43 per cent of the population live in chronic poverty. What you see on the surface, good roads, shopping centres and grocery stores in the urban areas, is not the rural reality – where 84 per cent of the population lives.

House on Fire reminded me of an African House of Blues, full of whimsical decorations and devoted to good sounds. Last Saturday it was sound and sights.

Who knew that woven grass mats could be so chic.

A lovely Swazi train.

Looks like candy!

Gone Rural, where my friends Camille, Isabel and Becky work, specializes in woven grass tableware – placemats, floor rugs, coasters and the like — available at 10,000 Villages in Canada. I was very curious what they would do at a fashion show. It was amazing. The placemats were folded, cut, and layered to create Alice in Africaland fantasy gowns. Not that you could ever really wear any of these get-ups – I imagine they’d be a tad scratchy, but what eye candy…and so chic!

My friend Haley works for Quazi Designs. This dress is accentuated with gold beads made of recycled paper.

Other participants designs included lacy crocheted shawls, dresses dangling with golden beads made of recycled paper, and head gear that looked like it came from another planet.

The showcase pushed boundaries that I didn’t know could be pushed. It was African, but otherworldly, and all for a good cause. Not only did it raise the profile of some of Swaziland’s finest designers, it raised money for the Mustard Seed Africa Health and Wellness Day for Handcraft Artisans, which benefits at least 300 women (urban and rural) from the participating organizations. The money will go to medical checkups for them, plus education on breast cancer and HIV/AIDS.

Beautiful.