Simply Philile

Let me start by stating that the content of your feedback on last week’s article [White Wedding: A Cultural Faux Pas] is appreciated and it prompts me to write a ‘part two’ on the subject and so it shall be in the near future.  By the way, please note the conversation always carries on via twitter (@masangopm), I encourage you to reach out. I’ll stay on the home turf today; sharing insights on how understanding the story behind the story always helps us better govern our communities and our countries, of course starting with governing our homes. Yes, everything is personal. And if it never is for you, then you might be on the wrong planet. In her early days as a published writer, world-renowned Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, reminded us of the dangers of a single story. Underline dangers and keep this word in mind as you continue to read.  The single story is just that; having a one dimensional outlook to any situation and this can negatively affect even o

I know  I may seem  pedantic about issues of identity  and particularly Swazi identity  but  I think  this is an important topic  that must be continuously  discussed  because if  we  cannot answer the simple question of  who we  are and why, then  we  will struggle to navigate  the various layers of   life  and therefore  we  will not know where  we  are headed and to what end . So, today  I’d like to explore  identity through the cultural  lens , specifically modern day cultural practice and custom   of  what is widely referred to as a ‘white wedding’ . With shows like ‘Our Perfect Wedding’ on  DStv , white weddings  have become a   significant part of our conversations. In fact, ‘Our Perfect Wedding’, is one television show that will make even the most silent  facebooker  rise from the ashes to give an opinion  on what the wedding party has done right ( quite  rare) or wrong.   Many a couple getting married on this show get ridiculed for their bland  taste in  fashio

It’s good to be back after a not so pleasant break. I was down with a paralysing flu but thank goodness for the kin of holy waters and holy oils - the holy herb.  Seriously, it was a cannabis oil concentrate that gave my son and I quick recovery and so yes, legalize it, if only for medicinal purposes.  Let me stop here and reserve this story for another day, before you start asking questions that might land me in court. Speaking of courts, this week was just a marvel to witness in neighboring South Africa wasn’t it? I couldn’t help but compare the legal system and processes there to those here in Swaziland.  I think, for particularly Africans in the Diaspora, it was difficult to observe the proceedings of the South African Constitutional Court without contrasting with our own homeland judiciary processes and mechanisms. Firstly, the Constitutional Court case was brought by opposition political parties against the head of state of the country after he blatantly ignor