In the past critiques which I have written concerning life in Swaziland, I have refrained from discussing the most publicized topic of interest, that of political crisis. There have been many reasons for my relative silence on this subject, but primarily it is because I wanted to investigate the situation on-the-ground rather than blindly believe what international scholars and media report. In all actuality, the problem is fairly complex, and I do not presume to have discovered the truth. But I do think that I have an adequate enough understanding of what is going on in order to share a few thoughts with you.

As many people know, Swaziland is ruled by a king (Mswati III) who holds absolute power. He is not subject to the law of the land. He is one of the richest men in the world in a country where approximately 70% of the population live on less than 1USD per day. He is a dictator, but he is not a bloody one like neighboring Robert Mugabe. Mswati doesn’t need to overtly oppress his people because Swazis have never organized well enough to challenge his sacred status (part of the reason for this is because all political parties are banned). Most Swazis actually believe they are living in a democracy since elections take place every so often to appoint members of parliament. (I won’t go into the boring details as to why these elections are meaningless, but trust me when I say they result in no reforms or systemic changes). Furthermore, those running for office might possibly be more corrupt than the king himself.

There is an extremely frightening cultural belief among many of the politicians who campaign for seats in parliament. It is called muti, a demonic practice whereby local thugs are hired to murder and mutilate innocent victims (usually women and elderly) for the sake of whichever politician is doing the bidding. Body parts are collected and ancestral spirits are captured in an attempt to spiritually sway the election process in favor of one candidate. During the season of national elections, such as the present time, hundreds of people go missing and never return home again. One such person was my best friend’s sister-in-law who was killed near my house only a few weeks ago. She was the wife of a pastor. (Tragedies like this cause me to question our collective sanity. Evil is so pervasive. It punches you in the face and sometimes I have difficulty knowing whether to punch back or simply turn the other cheek. Well, maybe turning the other cheek is a form of fighting back. You don’t give the enemy the satisfaction of having an enemy. You show him unconditional love. You show him Christ.)

I have heard many influential Swazis state that their country is worse off than Zimbabwe because at least Zimbabweans are actively trying to reform their government, whereas Swazis fail to even recognize the political crisis erupting in their midst. I’m not sure if I agree with this statement, but what I do know is that if the status quo doesn’t change soon in Swaziland, the problems which I referred to above will increasingly get worse and worse. But all hope is not lost. I know of many activist organizations and leaders who are putting their reputations and lives on the line to speak out against the current regime. Many of them are priests from the Anglican Church, with which I have been proud to associate myself. This is appropriate, too, because if any lasting change does come about, it is bound to be from God above, and by relation from His church.

It is winter now in Swaziland and very cold for African standards. Let us hope that the winds are changing and that once summer arrives, the powerful will be brought low and a spirit of truth will spread across this suffering nation.

P.S. Information about what is going on in Swaziland is hard to come by, but there are two excellent blogs from a British professor who has been teaching here the past few years. They can be found at these addresses: http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/ and http://swazielections.blogspot.com/. Another source of good information is a recent documentary about King Mswati titled Without the King. Because it criticizes the monarchy, owning a copy is illegal in Swaziland and can be construed as an act of sedition.

Isn’t it ironic how one of the least appreciated sports in America is far and away the most popular sport around the world? I am of course referring to soccer, not tennis (although I would argue that the latter falls under the same category). As I did in my previous sports post concerning tennis, I will begin with the local scene and move on to the international level.

This weekend I attended a charity tournament in which my organization, Cheshire Homes, was being represented by one of the teams who happened to advance all the way to the finals. The team was comprised of members from a local drinking club who love to donate things to Cheshire. Yes, they are in fact a drinking club with a social conscience. It was a fun event to be at, especially because they won, but mostly because the whole group would sing and dance after every goal. They allowed me to join in some of the excitement, and no fewer than ten inebriated old guys hugged me and said how happy they were to win the prize money for Cheshire. It was also enjoyable because I was able to share the experience with my favorite co-workers.

The weekend prior to this, I went to WorldCup Qualifying match with my friend Trevor. It was Swaziland versus Zambia. The whole country has been very excited about the possibility of moving forward in the qualifying rounds. We arrived at the national stadium plenty early and were rewarded (or punished depending on which way you look at it) with seats smack-dab in the middle of the soccer hooligans section. Craziness ensued. We both almost got crushed at one point. Thankfully the score ended in a draw which is probably the only reason why we survived.

And finally, the biggest international game in the past month was the UEFA Championship between Manchester United and Chelsea. Obviously I didn’t attend this one, but I did watch it on TV. The main reason why I mention it, though, is to tell about the friend who watched it with me. His name is Wamukelwe and he has been going through rehabilitation at Cheshire Homes since February. He is a young guy who likes to joke about things, so we get along quite well. We even used to play wheelchair basketball together, but as you can see from the pictures below, he’s progressed to the point where he no longer uses a wheelchair. So now we just joke together and quote rap lyrics. We also talk about girls. And by the way, he’s an amazing dancer…even when he was in a wheelchair.

his name is pronounced MOO-GHELL-OH

one of his famous dance moves

In the book Walking with the Poor, Bryant L. Myers wrote the following:

The end of the biblical story is the end of history. John tells us that Jesus will come again in power and glory. This leads to the judgment of judgments, the one and true judgment, the one that ends in the eternal destruction of the Evil One and of those whose names are not written in the book of life. Then the first earth and first heaven pass away and a new earth and new heaven, in the form of the new Jerusalem, descend from heaven. The story that began in a garden ends in a city.

Once again the dwelling place of God is with mend and women. There are no more tears, or death, or crying, or pain, nor is there famine or drought. Everything is made new—the people and their city. There is no church in this new Jerusalem because it is no longer needed; God and the Lamb live among the people. The mission of the church as a history-making force is completed. The kingdom of God stands alone at the end of time. It is the final reality; all other kingdoms have passed away.

The nations now walk by the light of the glory of God shone forth by the Son. The honor and glory of the nations, all their artistic, cultural, political, scientific and spiritual contributions, transformed and no longer a seduction away from the worship of God, are brought into the city. The gates never shut.

The measures of value are turned upside down. Gold, the most valuable commodity in this world, the commodity of greed and violence, is so common that it is used to pave the streets. The foundations of the city are made with precious stones, because we have a new understanding of what is valuable. These gemstones are simply beautiful, no longer objects of greed in the eyes of humankind.

Finally and most important, this new Jerusalem is a city of life. The earth itself is redeemed and once again produces the fruit and the healing that humans and their nations need. Our true vocation is once more within our grasp as “his servants will serve him.”

It is important for those concerned for human transformation to keep the end of the story in mind. This is where the triune God is going. This is the best human future. While this triumphant vision should guide us, it should also instill a sense of awe and humility in us. This end comes only at great cost. Christ died and the saints suffered. There is a cross on the way to this triumphal end.

Oh, tennis. What a great sport. Here in Swaziland, I play about once a week with my friend Londa Matsebula. I’ve also played some other guys in the area; one in particular named Iyanda. He and I have a peculiar relationship because of certain unfortunate incidents. Because I didn’t bring any of my equipment over here and because of the way the culture is, our small tennis community shares quite a bit. Balls and racquets being the most expensive commodities (and for some reason, balls being much more expensive and racquets much cheaper than in the States). So I was initially introduced to Iyanda after he had ruined some brand-new balls of mine. That was some months ago. Many broken strings and missing hand-grips later, we’ve become good-natured towards each other. But today, I accidentally broke one of his racquets. Uh-oh. This caused a momentary crisis in our fragile friendship. Until I paid him of course. Now I think he likes me more than ever. But enough about my amateur tennis matches in a country that barely anybody has heard of. Let’s move on to collegiate competition!

It’s no secret to my friends that I have been obsessed with the University of Virginia tennis team the past few years. Let’s Go Cavs! Wahoo-Wa! It all started my freshman year when I lived with two of the players. During my four years at college, the team was consistently ranked top five in the country, but they never managed to win the national championship. This past season was their best chance yet, being ranked number one for the entire duration. I actually followed their undefeated winning streak over the internet. Well…they lost in the semifinals by one point. Just like the UVA lacrosse team lost in the semifinals by one point. Just like the Washington Redskins and Washington Wizards both lost close playoff games. Story of my life, really, when it comes to the teams that I love. Anyways, at least in professional tennis I can like more than one player. Or can I, Mr. Federer?

As for “The Fed,” or Roger Federer as some like to call him, he has already let me down slightly this year. I predicted he would win all four grand-slams, and so far he is 0 for 1. I trust that he will make it up by winning the French Open, thereby solidifying his place in the history books as the all-time greatest player. Otherwise, I will be crying for the third straight year because that wedgie-picker Nadal stole the show once again.