It’s easy to be judgmental. It’s hard to be understanding. It's even harder to be introspective, and to turn the magnifying glass on ourselves.
There’s an article in today’s International Herald Tribune that’s worth reading if we’re to try and understand the tensions at work in Swaziland today.
It begins: "Swaziland and its king are throwing a joint 40th birthday bash this weekend, but the mood is far from celebratory in this small southern African land of paupers and princes, mud huts and palaces..."
It goes on to talk about these startling contrasts:
- The celebrations are in honor of Swaziland's 40 years of independence from Great Britain as well as the king's 40th birthday
- 40 percent of the Swazi population is unemployed
- Nearly 40 percent of adults are infected with the AIDS virus
- Only one in four people will survive to be 40 at current trends
- The cost of the celebrations is officially put at 20 million emalangeni (about US$2.5 million) but widely believed to be five times higher...
And yet... and yet...
What else should we expect? What example are we -- the royal "we" that implies all of us in the industrialized, affluent west -- giving King Mswati? The Swazis I met all respect and admire their king. I suspect they'd agree when I say he's not doing anything different than our own celebrities, princes of industry, and political jet-setters.
Jesus said something about taking the log out of our own eye, and I'm thinking it applies here as well. When we all give more than we receive, maybe then we can cast judgment.
Until then, I say Happy Birthday to King Mswati III. I only ask that when the celebratory dust settles you think long and hard about how to ease the suffering of Nokuphila, Bukithemba, Lomkhosi, and all the children of Swaziland.
2 comments:
The 40/40 celebration has been extensively reported this year, but it masks some big problems in Swaziland. There are huge human rights issues in Swaziland. The king rules by decree, all political parties are banned and parliament has no real powers. Seven in ten people live in abject poverty earning less than one US dollar a day. Six in ten people rely on international food aid and four in ten are said to be moving from hunger to starvation. If you are interested in human rights issues in Swaziland come visit my blog www.swazimedia.blogspot.com
I don't usually allow anonymous comments to A Song of Africa, but I made an exception in this case. "Anonymous" comments on the dichotomy between the absolute rule of the king and desperate situation of the people of Swaziland.
This is one of those cases where faith bleeds over into politics. This blog is all about our desire to support and know the people of Swaziland -- especially the children -- THROUGH FAITH. And not through politics.
But if our FAITH can influence just actions in the world through the tool of POLITICS, then the two aren't mutually exclusive.
Post a Comment