Creative Writing

          “Come children and gather around”, I said as my grandchildren came and sat upon the round carpet in front of my rocking chair.  “Tell us another story of your childhood!” said Jack, age 11, the oldest of all the grandkids.  They loved to hear stories from my childhood.  “Ya!” the other four yelled in unison.  My wife brought the children milk and cookies on a plastic tray.  They each grabbed a glass, spilling droplets on the bamboo carpet in our African living room.  I carefully picked up a picture lying on the coffee table across the room.  Walking across the room, my cane made loud noises as it hit the bamboo.  My rocking chair squeaked as I sat down in it.  It had been my father’s and his father’s and his father before him.  It was engraved with memories from the past, and Jack would soon share those memories with his children and his children’s children. 

          “Do you know who that little boy in this picture is?” I asked them.  “That’s me.” I said, having a flashback to that exact moment.  I described the event just as I saw it in my mind.  “It was a beautiful day in Swaziland; the grass was green, and the sky was as blue as the ocean.  The clouds danced around in the sky, playing monkey-in-the-middle with the sun.”  The memories of that day played like a movie in my head.  The film kept going, “My father was taking me hunting.  It was my first time, and I was 11 years old, just like you Jack.  He spotted a lion stalking a zebra in the distance.  We huddled behind a bush and watched with binoculars at the amazing sight. 

“My mother came along with us, her beehive hairstyle stuck out atop the bush.  Many Nguni huts lay around in suburb-like areas behind us.  The ground was muddy and my hiking boots made imprints on the slushy savannah terrain.  My dad said, ‘Sture! Look! The lion is being defeated by the zebra!  The zebra must possess some type of witchcraft.  We must get a picture of this site.’ 

“We walked through the savannah grass to where the lion lay on the ground, dead.  I sat down next to it, and my mother took out her camera.  I smiled like there was no tomorrow.  With my adult teeth growing in, there were many holes in my mouth.  This was the day I knew my father believed in me.  He said, ‘Son, you are like the zebra; a scrawny, little thing, with much bigger predators.  But, inside of you, you possess some type of magic that will keep you strong.  Even though I may seem like a lion to you now, when I was your age, I was a zebra also.’  Jack, you are a zebra, but when you grow up, you will be a mighty lion like me.  You just have to wait to grow into your roar.                      

News

Right now, HIV is spreading widely among pregnant women.  Forty-two percent of women that are pregnant in Swaziland have HIV.  The percent has increased three percent in the last two years.  A professor in Swaziland says that said that the increase among the women wasn't expected.  He said that it could be a good thing because it might mean that more people are surviving and developing an anti-virus for it.  Swaziland has the worst HIV throughtout the whole world.  Some reasons for that is because it's landlocked with many people migrating through the country.  

The King of Swaziland is believed to have thirteen wives!  Womens role in the society are being there for men.  Some people believe that giving women more power could possibly decrease the HIV rate.  Soon, women might be getting grants that they could use to feed and educate their children and would definitely spend it wisely.  

Culture

Swaziland has kept their unique culture for many centuries.  In many parts of the country, there are rock paintings that show dance, hunting parties, battle scenes, and animals.  A lot of the people wear very colorful clothes that have a bright toga-like piece called the mahiya.  Swazi warriors walk along the streets carrying battle-axes.  Personally, I would be very scared if I saw a warrior carrying an ax when i was walking down the street!  Many women wear "beehive" hairstyles like Marge Simpsons' hair, just not blue.  

The two most important and colorful ceremonies in Swazi tradition are the Incwala and Umhlanga.  The Incwala, "first fruits", is the most important and sacred of all Swazi ceremonies.  It is performed during December.  During this ceremony, many people, especially men, gather at a royal palace for many weeks of traditional dancing.  This dancing is always joined by the King.  The second most important ceremony is the Umhlanga or the "Reed Dance".  This is the most colorful ceremony and is performed in late August or early September.  This ceremony is mostly for unmarried women to worship the Queen and King.  Both of these ceremonies are performed only once a year.  Throughout the year though, many male dancers dance at hotels, spas, and game reserves for entertainment.  

The most traditional Swazi craft is grass weaving.  Mats and baskets are made for any and every use.  One type of basket work is so closely woven that you can drink from it.  Other crafts include wooden sculptures, glassware and pottery.  

Women's hair-does aren't the only "bee-hives" in Swaziland.  There's also a type of home called the Nguni hut, or "bee-hive" hut.  This home is made with a round frame, poles, and ropes.  Another type of home is called Sotho huts.  They have pointed roofs that are easily detatchd.  These houses are made of mud and have window frames and doorways.  Traditional European homes can also be found in Swaziland.  

Traditionally, babies weren't said to be "people" until they were three months old.  Before they reached the age of three months, they were called "things", had no names, and men couldn't touch them.  Once the baby became a "person", they remained very close to their mother who would carry them on her back and feed them whenever hungry.  At age three, a child begain to play with other children.  The mom would just leave the child in the care of other children.  Discipline was taught later in the child's life.  Young children would play house in their free time.  Today though, boys play with toy cars, while girls pretend to cook and do eachother's hair, just like in the United States.  Traditionally, girls and boys were to be seperated at the age of 6.  The boys were then socialized by older kids and learned to take care of livestock, while girls had more freedom and only did domestic chores.  Today, almost all children go to elementary school.  Around the age of 13 though, many children drop-out out school.  Many people in Swaziland believe in witchcraft and sorcery, even though most of the country is Christian.  

Geography, Climate, Animals, and Plants

A lion waits in the tall grasses of Swaziland. He sees his prey, an antelope jumps into view. He rises slowly to his feet, being careful not to scare the antelope off when a black rhino races at the antelope. The lion sits back down and waits for an easier prey. A wild dog runs across the grassland. An elephant roars in the near distance of the forest. A cheetah stalks the wild dog and a fight quickly breaks loose. The lion lays down, his head on his paws, and feels the cool breeze blowing his mane. The day slowly turns to night, and it gets cooler.

The sky above him is filled with clouds. The grass is very dry at this time of year (June-September) because it is very cool and dry. The months of October-May are warm and wet.There are no snowy days at all during the year. The year-round average temperature is about 70 degrees. This is very different than in Kansas, where the temperatures go from 90 degrees to 15 degrees year-round!

Swaziland is landlocked and almost completely surrounded by South Africa. Mozambique touches it's northern edge. Mostly mountains and hills cover the area. Swaziland is slightly smaller than New Jersey. The lion had a dream about running along white sandy beaches and not being enclosed in a game park. He had been transported from Madagascar to Swaziland many moons ago by boat. The sound of ocean waves calmed him as he drifted to sleep.

The next morning, the lion sees a group of tourists riding by on bicycles. They stop to take pictures as he gives out a mighty roar. That same day, many safari tours, hikers, and horseback riding tours come by. The lion slowly moves to the shade to cool down after many hours sitting in the hot sun. Flies buzz around him and he swats them away with his huge paw. His paw lands on the end of a white mouses' tail and he quickly devours the little rodent with little satisfaction.

History

Swaziland has a long history with some conflict and new beginnings. The small country is landlocked, surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique to the north.

Once upon a time, in the ancient land of Swaziland, hunters and gatherers called Bushman inhabited the land. They painted cave paintings that date back many centuries. In the middle of the 18th century, the Swazi people broke away from the main group of Bantu-speaking people who were migrating to Mozambique. In the beginning of the 19th century, the Swazi people became a distinct ethnic group. They got their name from their first king, Mswati II.


In 1750, the Swazi people settled in Zululand. There was huge conflict with the Zulu people. The Zulu's were rapidly growing in strength, so the Swazi's moved gradually northward in the 1800's and established the modern day land of Swaziland. The Swazi’s ruler, Mswati II, went north and made a contract with the British in the 1840’s. The British then succeeded in improving relations between the Swazis and the Zulus. At this same time, Europeans settled in Swaziland. In 1890, a provisional government was established. This means that it was a temporary government, so it would soon be replaced. From 1894-1899, the Transvaal government took the protection and administration of Swaziland. Transvaal is a province in the Northeast Republic of South Africa. They also speak Bantu.


After the South African, Boer, War from 1899-1902, Swaziland gained independence. In 1963, it was declared by the British and Transvaal governments. The king then became the head of state. The original constitution was abolished in 1976, and a new constitution was adopted in 1978. The new constitution still said that the king ruled almost fully. In 1982, Swaziland and South Africa agreed to defend each other’s security interests. In 1992, severe drought put Swaziland in danger of famine. The country’s first elections were held in 1993. Elections were also held in 1998. The king still holds most of the power in Swaziland, and political parties are officially band, even though most operate illegally. A new constitution was then established in July of 2005. The king still had the ultimate power. In 2007, due to drought, there were severe crop losses.