I feel very blessed to have been able to re-visit childhood stomping grounds in Swaziland, finding places and people reassuringly like my memories in many ways (mists on the hills at Hawane, the smell of woodfire, men in traditional dress carrying knobkerries, raucous and drunken nights of darts and philosophising around the log fire) and curiously changed (mobile phones ringing on the combi bus, finding blue cheese in a choice of supermarkets, American rap blasting from a market stall). Spending 8 years of my childhood there has set Swaziland firmly in my heart and I can never say never but for now I'm back in the leafy green and perfumed early summer of Brighton, another warm and safe home.
These are some of the things I love about Swaziland:
Rushing, cold rivers you can risk a swim in.
Watching a baby giraffe, with not another vehicle in sight.
The ever-present possibility of danger.
Deserted, beautiful places you can just enjoy.
The easy way that Swazis laugh.
Thatched roofs in any light or weather.
The love of Joyce.
Frost on the fields around Hawane.
Sharing a room with any number of amazing insects and spiders.
Music and shaking our asses.
The fly way so many people dress.
Randomness and acceptance.
Sharing spontaneous experiences with wicked friends.
Driving on red dirt roads.
Openness to new and controversial ideas (this is a humanure processing system ie compost from human shit- best tomatoes I ever ate)
Taking good ideas and running with them. This young man introduced a bunch of home-steaders to the idea of swales on contour with great eloquence and passion.
Njabula- my friend and mentor at Guba- a Rastafarian and therefore a vegetarian in a country of meat addicts.
The flowers of Malolotja- the widest variety and craziest styles I've ever seen.
The easy way my Swazi family can smile and enjoy when really they have so little material comfort.
Traditional dress and how warmly Swazis will admit me to their clan.
The mountains.
The rocks and the aloes.
Mystery and ancientness.
Playing bar games with beautiful souls.
Fun and high jinks!
Men who know how to braai.
These are some of the things I love about Swaziland:
Art.
