By Prarthana Mitra
The African country Swaziland, has chosen to rechristen itself as the kingdom of eSwatini, under the leadership of the allegedly corrupt monarch, King Mswati III. The last country to opt for the nearly impossible, and apparently expensive name change, was the Czech Republic, which prefers being called Czechia since 2017.
Heres what happened
On the 50th anniversary of the countrys independence from British rule, Mswati announced the decision to rename Swaziland as eSwatini or land of the Swazis in the local siSwati language, hoping to join the leagues of neighbouring nations Lesotho and Botswana, in shedding their colonial hangovers, by renaming themselves in indigenous traditions.
We no longer shall be called Swaziland from today forward, the Associated Press quoted the monarch as saying. But, what makes this declaration problematic, is the new constitution introduced in 2005, which bars ruling by decreeeven by an absolute monarch.
Mswati is known to have used the eSwatini name on several occasions before, notable among which, was the state opening of the country’s parliament in 2014, and the UN general assembly in 2017. The name is supposed to have caused some confusion with Switzerland. According to reports, the Swiss have also expressed relief at the measure that could put an end to the confusion.
Mswati is known to have used the eSwatini name on several occasions before, notable among which, was the state opening of the country’s parliament in 2014, and the UN general assembly in 2017. Credit: Twitter/@ReutersWhy you should care
Hailed by the BBC as one of the worlds absolute monarchs, Mswati has, for 32 years, reigned supreme over his nations people, who are still riddled with acute poverty, and a widespread HIV epidemic. Meanwhile, the king has fleets of luxury vehicles, two private planes, and dozens of wives.
Swaziland will now be called “Eswatini” after King Mswati III changed it’s name to mark his 50th birthday and country’s 50 years of independence. Swaziland is a small, landlocked monarchy in southern Africa. pic.twitter.com/LsINbQU3ao
Africa Updates (@africaupdates) April 19, 2018
The landlocked nation in southern Africa, has also received a lot of criticism on international forums for abolishing political parties, and human rights activists, who have tried to safeguard a fair rule. In Swaziland, there is still, rampant discrimination against women, and irresolvable economic crises.
The monarch’s recent name change decision has met with mixed responses from his countrymen, who would have likely preferred their supreme leader to have focused on the countrys dire socioeconomic conditions. The kings pride, however, rests on whether the name will be accepted by international forums, and the English-speaking masses abroad.
King Mswati III of Swaziland, Africas last absolute ruler, has renamed his country ‘eSwatini’, meaning place of the Swazi https://t.co/tvm8ERWIY4 @AFPgraphics pic.twitter.com/rNWr5Jt3Gf
AFP news agency (@AFP) April 20, 2018
According to the Washington Post, it is highly debatable whether the United Nations (UN) will agree to adopt the new name. Other considerations, such as whether search engines like Google, and foreign trade partners follow suit, will also hinge on the UN’s decision on the matter.
However, a symbolic gesture that tries to revert to pre-colonial traditions, is not necessarily the kind of move that would help improve the countrys economic, and social prospects any time soon. Swaziland, or eSwatini, requires grass-root level changes, and improvements in nearly every sector of the governmentnot superficial changesto ensure that its people live prosperously.