THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND

Background
The Kingdom of Swaziland is the smallest country in Africa with only 6,704 sq miles. It is located between Mozambique and South Africa and the official capital city is Mbabane but the royal and legislative one is Lobamba.
It has 1,100,000 inhabitants and two official languages Swati and English. The currency is the Lilangeni (E). In what concerns religion 60% of the population is Christian and 40% has indigenous beliefs. The inhabitants are said to be really friendly and welcoming.


How to get there
Swazi Airlink operates out of Matsapha International Airport, north of Manzini, and flies to/from Johannesburg daily. Swazi Express Airways flies four times a week to Durban (South Africa). Schedules and tickets often refer to the airport as Manzini.


Visas Overview
Most people don't require a visa, apart from some nationalities of the European Union who can get them free at the airport. Vaccination certificates are required if you have recently been in a yellow fever area.


Historical Facts
In eastern Swaziland archaeologists have discovered human remains dating back 110,000 years, but the Swazi people arrived only relatively recently. After being under the British Empire The Swaziland Convention of 1881 guaranteed the nation's independence on paper. Although Swaziland was still joining the long list of countries administered by London. Nowadays Swaziland is a Monarchy and since 1986 King Mswati III is running the country with the Council of Ministers, a small core of advisers. Opposition parties are illegal, and in 1995 the National Assembly and the homes of the deputy prime minister and the vice-chancellor of the University of Swaziland were burned in student riots. Following a general strike later that year the king's powers were partially reduced, and in 1997 the heads of Mozambique and South Africa held talks with the king on further democratisation in Swaziland.
To combat the AIDS epidemic, in 2001 the king prohibited men from having sex with teenage girls for five years. Just two months later he fined himself a cow for breaking the ban by taking a 17-year-old girl as his ninth wife. The ban was then prematurely lifted in 2005 just weeks before Mswati III chose another 17-year-old girl as his 13th wife. The king's spending is almost as controversial. Mswati III purchased 820,000 worth of BMWs for his wives. He has also asked his parliament for US$15 million for new palaces and US$45 million for a new personal jet among other extravagant expenses.


Weather Overview
The climate in Swaziland is mostly pleasant all year but the best time to visit it is between May and June or in October when temperature rounds 25°C. During this period you'll get cooler temperatures in the eastern lowlands and warmer, drier weather in the highlands. Winters can get quite cold at night but are relatively dry.
However if you to see the two most important Swazi cultural ceremonies, go in August or September for the Umhlanga (Reed) Dance, or in late December or early January for the Incwala (the 'first fruits') ceremony.


Special Events
The Umhlanga marriage festival at the Royal Kraal Palace is an ancient celebration were the most beautiful single women in the kingdom will be gathered looking for husbands. All the girls, and there are thousands, wear the Swazi traditional costume of short beaded skirts and a sash which denotes which tribe the girl comes from. The dancing lasts for hours and the girls must be careful to ensure they never damage the large reeds they hold above their heads. The King also chooses his brides on this festival, one or more than one per year. Usually during a lifetime the King typically takes over 400 wives.


Local Health Conditions

1) The Schistosomiasis
Also known as bilharzia, this disease is carried in freshwater by tiny worms that enter through the skin and attach themselves to the intestines. Once the disease is established, abdominal pain and blood in the urine are other signs. The infection often causes no symptoms until the disease is well established and damage to internal organs is irreversible. Avoid swimming or bathing in freshwater where bilharzia is present. A blood test is the most reliable test to confirm or deny the schistosomiasis presence in your body, but it will not show positive until a number of weeks after exposure.

2) Malaria
This serious and potentially fatal disease is spread by mosquito bites. Without treatment malaria can rapidly become serious and can be fatal. Travellers are advised to prevent mosquito bites at all times. The main messages are: wear light-coloured clothing; wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts; use mosquito repellents containing the compound DEET on exposed areas; avoid perfumes and aftershave. Use a mosquito net impregnated with mosquito repellent.

3) HIV/AIDS
HIV (Human Immuno-deficiency Virus) develops into AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), which is a fatal disease. Any exposure to blood, blood products or body fluids may put the individual at risk. Swaziland’s population has the highest AIDS infection rate in the world with a staggering 40%.


Wildlife national parks

1) The Malolotja Nature
This beautiful reserve is a true wilderness area, rugged and mostly unspoiled. It's also an excellent walking destination, with a 200km (124mi) network of hiking trails. We can see over 280 species of birds, including several rare species. Wildflowers and rare plants are added attractions.

2) The Hlane Royal National Park
Is near the former royal hunting grounds and it’s Swaziland's largest protected area, home to elephants, lions, cheetahs, leopards, white rhinos and many antelope species.

3) The Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary

This sanctuary near Lobamba is a private reserve created by Ted Reilly on his family farm in the 1950s. Zebras, giraffes, many antelope species, crocodiles, hippos and a variety of birds can be seen; in summer, you may spot a black eagle.


The Kingdom of Swaziland is waiting for you...

What are you waiting for then???

Leonor Pinharanda

Place to go: LONDON

I went to London about two years ago, in 2005, with my mother, little sister and cousin.

On the 19th of March I departed from the airport of Lisbon at around 10 a.m. We flew with British Airways, which cost us 1500€, more or less (depart and return). Two and a half hours later I was arriving in Heathrow, full of enthusiasm, although I get really bored while flying. I had heard that London was amazing and was ready to test it.

At Heathrow, after retrieving our luggage and a long time trying to understand the ticket selling machines, we took the subway and headed to Gloucester Road, near which was located the apart hotel we had booked our stay in.

After exiting the underground we were impressed right away. We (obviously) got lost. Luckily a gentleman in a bicycle saw immediately that we were lost foreigners and offered to help us. However he himself didn’t know where the Somerset Roland Gardens apart hotel was, but unlike everyone I’ve ever asked for directions in Portugal he actually went looking for the place. After about two minutes he was back and directed us perfectly to where we wanted to go. I was very impressed.

Somerset Roland Gardens is a very nice apart hotel. It has really pleasant accommodations, and we all fitted there very well. It had a wonderful big window in the living room facing a beautiful street with all the houses looking exactly the same, each one very well painted with a great car parked in front of it.

Since we didn’t want to loose time in the apartment (no matter how nice it was) we decided to split the days according to each one’s ambitioned destinations.

So the first day, the day of the arrival, it was my cousin’s day. So we went to the London Eye, to have a global view of the city. We had been told that London was a very cold and grey place, but when we got there, the sun was bigger and hotter than in Portugal!! Since there was no queue we thought that maybe it would be interesting to see the differences between London’s Aquarium, that was about ten meters away, and our Oceanário. It was a very good aquarium, however, ours is better, I dare say. But the real attraction was on the roof top of the aquarium. Several trampolines had been placed there with giant supports of metal, which connected to several really strong elastics that were linked to a belt. It was awesome!! We jumped like crazies! It was like flying!! It was probably the best fun I’ve ever experienced!

When we were “flying”, we noticed that the queue to the Big Eye was becoming humongous, so we had to interrupt the fun and get in the queue. We enjoyed the view very much… the sun set was very helpful, it turned the light more beautiful.

The next day we went to the Tower of London to see the crown jewels. They were rather impressive. We also went to Madam Tussaud’s and posed next to lots of very famous people made of wax.

The day after, it was my day! We went to the amazing Natural History Museum. I made a point to go there. It was the most wonderful museum I had ever been to. I was gobsmacked! I would have stayed there for three days if I could. But I couldn’t… after a brief lunch we went to baker street to see the house of Sherlock Holmes, and afterwards we went to Harrods! We found it too big and too expensive.

On the last day we went to the Tate Modern, to see the art my mother wanted to see. After that we went to the most beautiful theatre I’ve ever been and ever will be to… The Globe!

It is the reproduction of Shakespeare’s original theatre and it is simply brilliant… I was speechless (and that’s hard for me).

Overall, I’m sure you understood that I brought wonderful memories from London. I was there for four short days, and felt like home. The fact that there was a Portuguese person in every place we entered contributed for that feeling. The only problem the entire trip was the food. I must have chosen the worst things to eat because my family ate fairly well. On the day when we went to the museum, we ate there, and I was almost killed by a plate full of Dijon Moustard… I didn’t know it to be that spicy! They should have warnings! I know that the food was my fault… nevertheless, I didn’t enjoy it particularly… I didn’t taste the traditional fish and ships, but the next time I go there (because I’m sure going back) I will taste it… maybe I shouldn’t…


Carolina Bruxelas

bald problem

dear aunty carol,
i'm a 30 year old man and i'm already getting bald. i think it's because i have very grassy skin and it's probably a genetic heritage. should i try surgery?! i really need to know how to solve this. i want my hair back!

give a hand here?!

I'm SOOOOOOO cute! :3

Dear Autie Carolina!

It seems that I'm incapable of attracting men, which I don't get because I'm, sooooo cute! (just in case I haven't said it before).
I'm blond, blue eyed, tall, tanned and really fit.
Overall I'm an incredibly gorgeous young man! =)

Can you help me!?

(Inês Pott)

MULTICULTURALISM:

Does the inequality of outcomes prove racial or ethnic discrimination? Are there groups that have better outcomes because of their values, ideas, institutions, social practices? Does this mean that cultural differences produce economic inequalities? How does multiculturalism change the way we write history, given that history is usually about the struggles of groups for land, power, wealth, social recognition, and cultural expression?

'It's good to be different' might be the motto of our times. The celebration of difference, the respect for pluralism, is now a more than a policy, it’s a belief. People usually try to change a culture or a religion to fit on the current standards, instead of accepting the individuality and diversity of their own costumes. Is this the right attitude? I guess not. With a plural culture people get a “taste” of each culture, thus they’re able to have a greater understanding of their own costumes and history.

Multiculturalism is the only means of ensuring a tolerant and democratic polity in a world in which there are conflicts between cultures with different values. The attempt to establish universal norms leads to racism and tyranny. Human beings have a basic, almost biological, need for cultural attachments. This need can only be satisfied if we do protect different cultures. People must understand cultural values are not the so different cultures should be treated equal respect.

In spite of this, it’s very difficult to support respect for difference without appealing to some universalised principles of equality or social justice. Equality arises from fact that humans are political creatures and possess a capacity for culture. But the fact that all humans possess a capacity for culture does not mean that all cultures are equal. It means that we should respect other’s differences as they respect ours. Diversity is important, because it allows us to expand our horizons, to compare and contrast different values, beliefs and lifestyles. In other words, because it allows us to engage in political dialogue and debate that can help create more universal values and beliefs, and a collective language of citizenship. But on those debates we can never forget the words 'tolerance' and 'respect'.A truly plural society would be one in which citizens have full freedom to pursue their different values or practices, while in the public sphere all citizens would be treated as political equals whatever the differences in their private lives. Multiculturalism is usually as a result of immigration. This can lead to anxiety about the stability of national identity, yet can also lead to cultural exchanges that benefit the cultural groups. Such exchanges range from major accomplishments in literature, art and philosophy to relatively token appreciation of variations in music, dress and new foods. A plural society can brought racism or homophobia. That’s why it’s vital to establish some policies to decrease these feelings:

• dual citizenship
• government support for newspapers, television, and radio in minority languages
• support for minority festivals, holidays, and celebrations
• acceptance of traditional and religious dress in schools, the military, and society in general
• support for arts from cultures around the world
• programs to encourage minority representation in politics, education, and the work force

In what concerns these policies not every country has the same. For example, France has made efforts to adapt French culture to new immigrant groups, while Canada still has many policies that work to encourage assimilation.

Unfortunately there are some who can’t accept these new concept. One of the most articulate and careful recent critics of multiculturalism is from the political theorist Brian Barry, who argues from the liberal left in his 2002 book "Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism" that some forms of multiculturalism can divide people when they need to unite in order to fight for social justice.” Another more recent and conservative criticism, based largely upon the Nordic and Canadian experience, is these view multiculturalism as a Utopian ideology with a simplistic and overly optimistic view of human nature, the same weakness he attributes to communism, anarchism, and many strains of liberalism. According to them, multiculturalism is particular to a western urban environment and cannot survive as an ideology outside it.

Personally I think that living in a plural society is a plus. Living in a cosmopolitan area will allow us to be more attentive, more helpful. So, in what concerns multiculturalism I think that




Chicago Cultural Studies Group. "Critical Multiculturalism." Critical Inquiry 18:3 (1992): 530-55.
Erickson, Peter. “What Multiculturalism Means.”Transition 55 (1992): 105-14.

Leonor Pinharanda

The Agony Aunt

Dear Aunt Carol,
I am a 21 year old girl and I am studying abroad. My boyfriend has not came with me and I am now living alone.
At first I felt very lonely and my boyfriend and I spoke on the phone for hours. But now I have a friend who is a boy and we are really close. I think I am in love. What should I do? Should I stay with my boyfriend or should I dump him?

Please help me!!!

Leonor Pinharanda

Desperate Failure

Dear Aunty Carolina:

I am a deperate failure. I am only 30 years old and afraid my life is over. My wife has left me and I have lost my job to alcohol. When I am sober I get realy depressed and start drinking again. I can't stop this vicious cycle on my own, but I can't drive myself to a rehabilitation center. My family has also abandonned me due to my rude behaviour. How can I help myself? What can I do? Please help me.

(Carolina)