A ceremony in which King Mswati III of Swaziland
reportedly has sex with a bull, ‘is probably the most important tradition
of the Swazi people’, according
to a newspaper in effect owned by the King.
The Incwala or First Fruits Ceremony is ‘our unique
identity’, the Swazi Observer said in an editorial
comment.
Incwala is a controversial ceremony that takes place
between November and January each year. Traditionalists say Incwala is a ‘national
prayer’, but Christian groups have criticised it for being ‘un-Godly’ and ‘pagan’.
The ceremony is shrouded in secrecy and participants are
barred from talking about what happens. The Observer
reported ‘hordes’ of tourists attended the ceremony (50,000 are expected this
year, according to one
public relations handout), but in fact no one is allowed to witness one
part of the ceremony, described by the King’s newspaper as ‘heritage which sets
us apart from other tribes that we are branches of’.
The Observer said
the rites of Incwala were ‘mystical’ and, ‘it becomes imperative that it cannot
be documented by modern documentation apparatus like cameras and video
recorders’.
It added, ‘Hence most of the information about such a
ceremony can only be gleaned from those who have attended it through word of
mouth, further mystifying the ceremony.’
Journalists
who try to report the event are harassed and in 2011 a street vendor who
sold pirated DVDs of Incwala was hauled in by the police and handed over to
traditional authorities for a grilling. He was ordered to reclaim all the
copies of the DVD he had sold.
Failure to do so might have seen him banished from his
homeland, local media reported at the time.
In its editorial, the Observer
also made an oblique reference to ‘the accuracy of the first person accounts’
that had emerged from the ceremony.
It said the accounts, ‘[C]annot be said to be spot on, as
there are some elements that are out of bounds to the commoner, while the high
priests are naturally sworn to secrecy such that even if they can tell about
the rituals, there are those that they know they should not or cannot divulge’.
Although it did not say so, the Observer was probably referring to a first-hand
account of the activities of Incwala that emerged in 2011. Then, a number of
media outlets, including the Southern Africa Report and
Africa is a Country, reported an eyewitness testimony of Incwala.
Africa is a
Country said, ‘The ceremony is cloaked in secrecy and marks the king’s
return to public life after a period of withdrawal and spiritual contemplation.
‘Among its highlights is a symbolic demonstration by the
king of his power and dominance in a process involving his penetration of a
black bull, beaten into semi-conscious immobility to ensure its compliant
acceptance of the royal touch. The royal semen is then collected by a courtier
and stored, for subsequent inclusion in food to be served at Sibaya –
traditional councils – and other national forums.’
It also reported, ‘Swazi police has since jumped onto the
“testimony” with “an appeal to the nation for assistance in identifying and
arresting certain individuals who are printing and distributing pamphlets in
business and other public areas” (that’s Scribd
and Facebook).’
See also
ILLEGAL TO POSSESS INCWALA SONGS
SWAZI KING AND BESTIALITY RITUAL
NOW, EVEN HOLY SPIRIT IS SEDITIOUS
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