Cloud of colonialism hangs over Queen Elizabeth’s legacy in Africa
If you were just to walk into any of the homes in the Swazi capital of Upington, you would find the walls adorned with portraits and pictures of the British Royal Family, including a young Queen Elizabeth.
These pictures are part of a popular annual event called Swazi Life which celebrates the Queen first as a young girl in London, then as a woman of such stature that she was dubbed Queen Elizabeth II.
It is a tradition of the Swazi community that their first monarch is Queen Elizabeth II. Her portrait is on the walls, her name is sung in songs as the Queen and the Queen is a household name.
In the UK her reign as Queen was marked by economic growth and peace and after the fall of the monarchy in the UK, her legacy as Queen of the Commonwealth is seen as a symbol not only of her legacy but also of the African continent in the world.
In Swaziland, despite the fact that this is a constitutional monarchy, the Swazi community has had their own Queen for as long as the Swazi homeland has been the homeland of the Swazi people.
“Our King is Zwelithiniwe of the Swazi people. We have our own Queen, who is our spiritual leader who is also our cultural head, she is the Queen’s representative on our behalf,” said Maseko Ndlovu at the Upington Police Station.
If Swaziland ever came under threat by the UK, as was first thought, then it is not a guarantee that the Queen would come and save Swaziland, and the Swazi people from the colonialists.
Makhosi Mutiso of the African National Congress (ANC) explained that the Queen had made promises and been prepared to fulfil her part. “When the African National Congress come to power and the Queen is in power, then we can say that the Queen is the head of both our state and our nation. At that time we can say that the Queen is the Queen of our nation,” he said.
The Swazi man added that the Queen would be a very strong partner in the struggle against the British in Swaziland.
If the Swazi community wanted to have their own Queen they must first make sure they had a united country.
A British company has been
