Spending a few days in Swaziland was a great decision. I only intended one or two days but somehow it became four. The place I stayed in was in a natural game reserve and is almost completely surronded by a mountain range. The second your in the country your forced to slow down and just watch the landscape in front of you. Fortunately, I arrived during one of two great celebrations in Swazi culture, the Incawala ceremony.
It was amazing, all these swazi men in cow belts, holding a stick and a shield walking around as if this was perfectly normal everyday behaviour. Thousands and thousands of swazi come on this day to pay tribute to the king and sing songs or praise, as the King allows the people to take part in the first harvests of the year. As we arrived to area of celebration the swazi men were lining up and squaring off to enter the kings sanctuary which is fenced off with dead branches about 2 metres talk. Each group of men were a regiment and they would march around and gather speed the closer and closer they got to the entrance, until all the men were at full bolt.
From where i was standing it, I was behind the regiments and i really didnt get that many good snaps. Watching cow-hided rear ends for 2 hrs didnt really interest me. I split from the group and went around to the front to just see how it was there. It was a little better but the spot was further off, but oh well it was a better spot to take in the swazi culture.
"Press? Press?" said a cow hided person i believed to be a guard of sorts.
I see a few people with big heavy cameras and monster zoom lens head towards the guard. I think back on Khao san road wehre it was possible to get a journalist pass faked for a price. That would definitely have been handy at a time like this.
A uniformed crowd controller that I had been conversing with says to me "Are you a journalist?". "Nope, just a tourist" "Oh? well go take advantage of being journalist."
*stunned* OKAY for sure. I lined up behind all the people with big huge lens and filed through metal detectors. One of the guards gave me a look. Crap, my cover is blown what happens now?. "Stand over here please"
The next half hour the "press" got prime position to take photos of the ceremony. Although most of it was boring from there on it was still a great position to be in. The king's royal guard clothed in red like the british armies of old came in as an marching band and armed regiment. Not very cultural. Then the king showed up in traditional garb and inspected his troops and proceeded into his royal sanctuary. I snuck around as much as i could and got some good snaps of his royal highness. Being press is awesome!
I ended the day by entering his royal sanctuary and joined in the dances and celebration. We received some very funny looks, but the swazi men were very happy we were trying and gave us some pointers as well. They are a very proud and cultural people who have somehow maintained they're individuality despite the surrounding wars in the country of South Africa.
So here is the tail end of the trip. I'm in St. Lucia, a beach town of sorts with a few tourist activities. I envision getting back on the 12th or so. I'm gonna chill out for a few days here and then make my way to J'Burg. I'd like to be able to check out the Apartied Meseum before i leave as well. Time is such a constraint. Sucks.
It was amazing, all these swazi men in cow belts, holding a stick and a shield walking around as if this was perfectly normal everyday behaviour. Thousands and thousands of swazi come on this day to pay tribute to the king and sing songs or praise, as the King allows the people to take part in the first harvests of the year. As we arrived to area of celebration the swazi men were lining up and squaring off to enter the kings sanctuary which is fenced off with dead branches about 2 metres talk. Each group of men were a regiment and they would march around and gather speed the closer and closer they got to the entrance, until all the men were at full bolt.
From where i was standing it, I was behind the regiments and i really didnt get that many good snaps. Watching cow-hided rear ends for 2 hrs didnt really interest me. I split from the group and went around to the front to just see how it was there. It was a little better but the spot was further off, but oh well it was a better spot to take in the swazi culture.
"Press? Press?" said a cow hided person i believed to be a guard of sorts.
I see a few people with big heavy cameras and monster zoom lens head towards the guard. I think back on Khao san road wehre it was possible to get a journalist pass faked for a price. That would definitely have been handy at a time like this.
A uniformed crowd controller that I had been conversing with says to me "Are you a journalist?". "Nope, just a tourist" "Oh? well go take advantage of being journalist."
*stunned* OKAY for sure. I lined up behind all the people with big huge lens and filed through metal detectors. One of the guards gave me a look. Crap, my cover is blown what happens now?. "Stand over here please"
The next half hour the "press" got prime position to take photos of the ceremony. Although most of it was boring from there on it was still a great position to be in. The king's royal guard clothed in red like the british armies of old came in as an marching band and armed regiment. Not very cultural. Then the king showed up in traditional garb and inspected his troops and proceeded into his royal sanctuary. I snuck around as much as i could and got some good snaps of his royal highness. Being press is awesome!
I ended the day by entering his royal sanctuary and joined in the dances and celebration. We received some very funny looks, but the swazi men were very happy we were trying and gave us some pointers as well. They are a very proud and cultural people who have somehow maintained they're individuality despite the surrounding wars in the country of South Africa.
So here is the tail end of the trip. I'm in St. Lucia, a beach town of sorts with a few tourist activities. I envision getting back on the 12th or so. I'm gonna chill out for a few days here and then make my way to J'Burg. I'd like to be able to check out the Apartied Meseum before i leave as well. Time is such a constraint. Sucks.
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