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Thursday 16 August 2007

TELEVISION ON THE INTERNET (3)


The Swazi Royal Family is just like any other family in Swaziland. That’s the view of some of the wives of King Mswati III who are interviewed in the short film, Queens of Swaziland.

The film talks to the wives, their children and to the king himself about their culture and their lives, in latest in this blog’s occasional series of television items that are available for viewing on the internet.

The film is made by Journeyman Pictures, which describes itself as London's leading independent distributor of topical news features, documentaries and footage.

The film interviews the king’s wives about the lives they lead. It seems that in between shopping trips they spend their time making art and weaving beads. There are also some official functions to be fitted in.

The wives say how much they love the king. The king says how much he loves the wives. The children, we are told, must relate to the king but they are not allowed to call him ‘daddy’.

At the time this film was made (about the year 2000) the king had seven wives. It is thought he now has 13, but officially this is information the Swazi people are not allowed to have.

The wives say there is no competition between one another. They all get along just fine.

One of the roles of the wives is to bring up the children. They must instil discipline and ‘Godly fear’ into the children.

The film has a public relations quality about it and it is no surprise to learn that the Swaziland Ministry of Tourism had a part to play in its making.

The film has no context. Viewers get to see palaces but you won’t learn that about 70 per cent of the king’s subjects live below the official poverty line. Nor, would you know that the king’s lavish lifestyle has always been a matter of controversy.

You can find the film which lasts about 22 minutes here.

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