Hhohho district
Hhohho district – one of 4 districts in the Kingdom of Swaziland, located in the northern part of the country.
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Demographics
The majority of Swaziland’s population is ethnically Swazi, mixed with a small number of Zulu and White Africans, mostly people of British and Afrikaner descent. Traditionally Swazi have been subsistence farmers and herders, but most now mix such activities with work in the growing urban formal economy and in government. Some Swazi work in the mines in South Africa. Swaziland also received Portuguese settlers and African refugees from Mozambique. Christianity in Swaziland is sometimes mixed with traditional beliefs and practices. Many traditionalists believe that most Swazi ascribe a special spiritual role to the monarch. Residents of Swaziland have the lowest documented life expectancy in the world at 32.2 years, less than half the world average of 65.8
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Language
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History
Artifacts indicating human activity dating back to the early Stone Age 200,000 years ago have been found in the kingdom of Swaziland. Prehistoric rock art paintings date from ca. 25,000 B.C. and continue up to the 19th century.
The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by the Bantu tribes during Bantu migrations. Evidence of agriculture and iron use dates from about the 4th century, and people speaking languages ancestral to current Sotho and Nguni languages began settling no later than the 11th century.
The ruling Dlamini lineage had chiefships in the region in the 18th century. An enlarged Swazi (occasionally also written as Suozi]) kingdom was established by King Sobhuza I in the early 19th century. Soon thereafter the first whites started to settle in the area. In the 1890s the South African Republic in the Transvaal claimed sovereignty over Swaziland but never fully established power. After the Second Boer War of 1899–1902, Swaziland became a British protectorate. The country was granted independence within the Commonwealth of Nations on September 6, 1968. Since then, Swaziland has seen a struggle between pro-democracy activists and the monarchy.
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Hlane Royal National Park
Hlane Royal National Park is near the former royal hunting grounds. Hlane (the name means ‘wilderness’) is Swaziland’s largest protected area, home to elephants, lions, cheetahs, leopards, white rhinos and many antelope species. The park offers wonderfully low-key wildlife-watching.
There are guided walking trails, which afford the opportunity to see elephants and rhinos, as well as two-hour wildlife day drives, a cultural village tour with dance performances and mountain-bike rentals.
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When to Go
The best time to visit is between May and June or in October, especially if you want to avoid those days when you could fry eggs on a tin hat. You’ll get cooler temperatures (downright cold at night) in the eastern lowlands and warmer, drier weather in the highlands. If you want to see the two most important Swazi cultural ceremonies, go in August or September for the Umhlanga (Reed) Dance, or in late December or early January for the Incwala (the ‘first fruits’) ceremony. But bear in mind that Swaziland is rain-soaked between December and April.
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Lobamba
Lobamba is the traditional and legislative capital of Swaziland, seat of the Parliament and residence of the Queen Mother. It is located in the west of the country, in the Ezulwini valley, 16 km from Mbabane, in the district of Hhohho. Its population is 5,800.
Lobamba is famous for two ceremonies: the Reed Dance, celebrated in August and September in honour of the Queen Mother, and the Incwala Kingship, in December and January in honour of the King. These ceremonies include dancing, singing, and celebrations with traditional attire.
The Embo State Palace, the Royal Kraal, Swazi National Museum, Swazi Parliament and a museum dedicated to Sobhuza II of Swaziland lie in the town, while the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and Matsapha Airport lie nearby.
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The Kingdom of Swaziland
The Kingdom of Swaziland is a small, landlocked country in southern Africa (one of the smallest on the continent), embedded between South Africa on all sides except to the east, where it is bordered by Mozambique. The country is named after the Bantu-speaking Swazi people. It is divided into four regional administrative districts: Hhohho, Manzini, Lubombo and Shiselweni. Regions are further subdivided into tinkhundla administered by the tindvuna (royal aides or governors); each inkhundla in turn comprises several chiefdoms governed by chiefs as well as urban municipal areas and private lands.
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