Swazi Youth at Independence

For the average Swazi youth, there is not much significance about living in an independent country, where there is little or no reward for hard work and/ excellence in any field if you do not have the right connections. A country where the general dominating trends are an ailing economy and pervasive poverty which have, in turn, influenced an increased vulnerability that is associated with one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world. Instead of spending time improving our knowledge and skills for the betterment of the country, our time is wasted searching for ‘connections’, trying to align ourselves with the ‘right’ people so we to can get a piece of the pie. So we can be able to move from the back of the line.

One would have hoped that by finally being ‘set free’ from British rule, Swaziland would be in a much better position to take care of her own. In particular, the youth. It is often said the youth “ngumliba loya embili” (they are the future), but the evidence on the ground points to a country that has no intention of making great investments in the future generations. There is this whole buzz about Swaziland becoming a first world country by 2022. How do we expect to attain first world status if we do not invest in the future generations?

I know, this is a time for celebration and I should be highlighting the positives – but it’s hard highlighting something that is barely there! Well, maybe there is are a few positives to highlight; recently, the country conducted a HIV Incidence Measurement Survey (SHIMS), the results of which elicit the kind of shock that would almost certainly make a grown man fall off his chair, pointing to a disadvantaged youth. How else do we explain the HIV incidence rate being highest at 20-24 for females (4.2%), and for males aged 30-34 (3.1%)? In simple English, this means there chances of HIV infection are highest for these sexes at these respective age groups. It all points to an imbalance of some sorts in society that needs to be addressed.

Still on the subject of positives, which I guess was the whole point of this piece, the past year has seen quite a few steps being taken towards the right direction; the passing by parliament of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Bill of 2009 and the endorsement and launch of the Child Protection and Welfare Act of 2011. Good steps towards addressing some of the ills that face the youth in present day Swaziland. Until such time that an implementation/operational plan is developed and implemented as vigorously as other laws like the (in)famous drink-driving one, I shall keep the champagne on ice at this end.

See, what we stand to inherit as the youth is a country that is content with doing just enough to avoid international sanctions, and not enough to improve livelihoods of the general populace. A country whose culture is under attack from the very same people who are supposed to be the custodians. Swazi culture has often been blamed for the apparent gender inequality (as you would expect in a patriarchal society) that has in turn influenced, amongst other disasters, one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world. Culture on its own is not the problem. The abuse of culture is. The youth today have no one willing to impart comprehensive knowledge on key cultural issues – how and why some cultural practices exist.

The youth themselves are not without sin in all this. Whilst trying to find ways to best approach this assignment, I asked a few youths the question; “What does Swaziland’s independence mean to you?” All 6 replied, “Nothing”, then proceeded to try convince me why it should mean nothing to me as well. Interesting discussions I must say, and they raised some interesting valid points.

Post-independence Swaziland has had her fair share of epidemics to deal with, but there is one that is steadily tightening its grip on Swazi youth. The most dangerous of all we have had to deal with; indifference. Indifference seems to be the weapon of choice for the Swazi youth today. It is the coping mechanism that is being employed to survive the frustrations that come with being a youth in this country. We seem to have given up hope for this country getting things right, pushing ourselves out if these gravel roads we are in onto the highway to first world status. Someone I don’t know once said, “Participate in your life. Don’t just bear witness to the rain washing you away.” We need to involve ourselves in the development of this country; it is a responsibility we have to ourselves and future generations. The indifference will catch up with us in only a few years, when it’s our turn to take the ball and run with it.

Back to the question: What does independence mean to the Swazi youth? Independence, in general, means not depending on authority or control; being at liberty to form one’s own opinion and not depending on anyone for one’s livelihood. This points to one thing; responsibility. We, as the youth, have a responsibility to ourselves, to the country and to future generations. That’s what independence should mean to us. The saying is older than old, yet true for today as when it was made to be told; “It is always easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging those responsibilities.”

*I probably should have made reference to the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, and the Swaziland National Youth Council, but I am afraid my vocabulary is not expansive enough to adequately explain my feelings for them and the disservice they have perfected over the years.