Gear THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND - THE SWITZERLAND OF AFRICA
  Traditional Regiments in their thousands carry cow-hide shields, knobkerries, fighting sticks and spears. They wear "emahiya" loin cloths topped with "emajobo" skins from various animals. Here they prepare a mock charge at the assembled crowd.

Swazi

Swazi

A praise singer announces the arrival of the hundreds-strong National Sibaca Dance Team.

In the background can be seen the huge drums that throb with a heartbeat rhythm once per second.

Thousands of onlookers can feel the ground shake with the pounding feet of this elite team.
Swazi

Two Swazi men wearing feathered headdresses and ox-tail necklaces march from the Lozitha mountain (background) towards the Royal Cattle Byre for the annual Sacred Incwala ceremony (Kwanza in the USA). This ancient First Fruits festival occurs near New Year's and can be joined by anyone. It ends when the King emerges from a month of seclusion to dance with the assembled Nation.

The men are both wearing emajobo (loinskins) made from white leopard.
Swazi

Casual and undisturbed by onlookers only a few feet from their shade, these savannah speedsters only yawned, stretched and ambled away.
Swazi

On the main road to Simunye one finds this sign in the Hlane game park. How fast can you cycle?

Fortunately it is the Impala one sees most frequently on the road, and the wild boar, and the Kudu, and the ostritches and the zebras and only sometimes a rhino.
Swazi


The National Prisons Choir is made up of the warders who swopped their green uniforms for traditional gear at this fund raising event to send the Manzini Choir to the International Eisteddford choir competition. This is a good view of the mahiya cloth wrap-around, the majobo skin front and back, regimental diagonal beads, the left upper arm kerchief or oxtail and a straight stick or knobkerrie. The white anklets are seed pod rattles.
Swazi

Mlilwane Game Park has a huge Egret (cowbird) roost next to the hippo pond. The hippos can just be discerned thrashing playfully on the right. Each day at 3PM they emerge from the water next to the spectators to munch a little maize meal with the wart hogs.
Swazi

These four photos are all from the 1999 Incwala Ceremony - First Fruits Ceremony (known as Kwanza in some other countries) - and they are the genuine article. This is not an event put on for tourists. It is performed each year approximately on the full moon nearest the Summer Solstice. The men shown are members of the Balondolozi Regiment to which the King belongs and other regiments including the one King Sobhuza II belonged to. The picture taken from quite far away from the group is taken inside the Royal Cattle Byre where the final dancing with the King takes place as the Regiments celebrate the return of the King from one month of seculsion.
1999 incwala 1999 incwala

1999 incwala

His Majesty the Ngwenyama, King MSwati III, left with white collar ring, at his traditional marriage ceremony to Inkhosikati LaNgangaza, at Mbekelweni.

Swazi

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