Here’s a relatively new blogsite that’s worth encouraging.
Jackson Rogers’ blog ‘Swazi Bill of Rights’ looks at constitutional issues in Swaziland, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.
In his most recent post Rogers writes about the Human Rights Commission in Swaziland which he says will be able to investigate individuals at the behest of the state, and could end up being the exact opposite of what any right-thinking people would want from it.
SNUS says the blog ‘is for all students in tertiary institutions in Swaziland and those in the diaspora. It is a progressive student organisation that seeks to unite all students across the different tertiary institution to bargain with government collectively, as well as to assist in creating a platform for students to discuss the issues that affect them and be able to give voice on national politics from a student perspective.’
Last week I received a private email from a media freedom activist asking me which blogsites on Swaziland he should be following to keep abreast of the continuing fight for democracy.
There is an increasing number of blogsites about the kingdom, but most of them are not about public affairs. Instead they are written by people who are travelling through Swaziland or who are in the kingdom with a volunteer organisation such as the US Peace Corps or churches.
These sites are not written for a general audience and are mostly aimed at the writer’s friends and families. They have little concern for the general reader. You can read examples here and here.
The most visited site on freedom in Swaziland is the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) forum. At the last count it had 684 members and the forum is updated several times a day.
The SSN also has a site based in Canada that has been operating for more than three years that holds a collection of articles and reports on Swaziland.
The banned political party, People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) has started its own website. It hasn’t been operating for long and is still being built. The Swazi Government wanted to close it down, so it must be worth reading.
Libambe Lingashonidescribes itself as a journal with a vision ‘One world, one people.’ It says, ‘We see a new Swaziland where all human beings shall be equal before the law.’ It says it is a monthly journal, but the site hasn’t been updated since October 2008.
Caroline in Swazilandis Canadian videographer who was working in Swaziland to produce videos for several non-profit organizations, including the Swaziland Action Group against Abuse, an organization that is trying to fight abuse through counselling, education and women's empowerment programs.
Among the blogsites available on Swaziland is my own Swaziland Elections 2008, which as the name suggests, has a collection of information and comment about the elections in Swaziland held last September.
Among recently-created blogsites (which don’t always get updated that often) are
Phansi Mswati Phansi,which takes a satirical swipe at King Mswati IIIand purports to be written by the king, ‘I am a king and don't care for my subjects.’
S1ka Mediais written by Sikelela Dlamini, and ‘carefully identifies, reflects on, explores, interrogates, and unpacks some uncomfortable socio-political topics/issues confronting contemporary Swaziland’.
Stanley Talkswas set up by Stanley Mkhwanazi, a Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from the University of Swaziland, as ‘a commentary on a variety of issues such as media, business, tourism, social , personal development, observations and experiences’.
Tinchapheli ‘is dedicated to the people, young and old, who fight oppression in Swaziland and the world over’.
The Young People’s Division is to help ‘youth overcome all challenges they might be exposed to’.
Apologies to anyone I have left out. If you know of other sites that should be on the list please let me know.
A new voice in support of freedom and democracy in Swaziland has taken to the Internet.
S1ka Media is written by Sikelela Dlamini and ‘explores and interrogates some compelling socio-political topics/issues confronting contemporary Swaziland, his native country’.
On his blogsite Damini reminds us that the way forward for Swaziland is not through bombing. He writes, ‘The most effective weapon is our peaceful determination to make Swaziland a democratic home for all who inhabit this beautiful land. The mode, of course, is sustained mass protest, which observes the highest level of discipline. No amount of brutal police or military force should break our spirit and resolve. We should be prepared to be beaten or even killed for what we hold so dear. The bullets of the world cannot stand in the way of the popular will. We should never allow physical force to prevail over humanly principles and noble ideals.’
Check out the blogsite at http://s1kamd.wordpress.com/
The site doesn’t say much about what the church is about, but the post I saw gave a brief description of how HIV AIDS has affected Swaziland.
The church reports, ‘The average life expectancy of individuals in Swaziland at the moment stands at 37 years. And statistics experts tell us that by the year 2025 the country’s population structure shall thin dramatically because of the AIDS impact.
‘There are approximately 188 000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the country as the recent statistics have revealed.
‘In the next four years this figure is set to rise as it is projected that 202 948 people would have been infected with HIV by 2012.
‘While many attempts are been made to stop this killer disease, lack of knowledge and misconception still prevail especially among young people.
‘We are a nation at war; Swaziland’s prevalence rate means that one in four people within the reproduction age group (15-49 years) is HIV positive. There is, however, a difference in the infection levels as women constitute 31 percent of those infected against 20 percent men.’
Good information, but I was disappointed that the church’s only response to this was to ask people to pray for ‘Swaziland’s salvation until revival comes to this nation’.
