It was a cloudy cool morning on the day of King
Sobhuza's funeral, the 3rd of September 1982. As the grey light of dawn
appeared, we woke to the eerie sound of chanting as the warriors marched up the
hill from the Royal Kraal, towards the valley previously used as a football stadium, where the
funeral was to take place. Out of the mist they came, dressed in traditional
striped loin cloths with skins around their waists, armbands and necklaces
contrasting with their bare chests. As they marched they beat their wooden
spears on the ground to accompany their rhythmic chanting.
King Sobhuza had been greatly revered. He was the
longest known reigning monarch in Africa having come to the throne 61 years
previously. He died in his royal palace at the age of 82 surrounded by his
retinue. Despite converting to Christianity, the King persisted in observing
traditional customs, one of which was to take a new wife every year. This event
took place at a colourful ceremony called the Reed Dance where all the local
young women danced in traditional costume, bare bosomed for the King's
pleasure. As a result, he had more than 60 wives and hundreds of children.
The whole country went into mourning. All the women
made a knotted cord belt which was worn as a symbol of their grief. The women
living at the Royal Kraal were forbidden to see any male during the strict observation
of mourning. Arrangements were made, for instance, that if any medical care
was required, only female nurses or doctors would be permitted to attend.
While I lived
in Swaziland, I had joined a choir of European singers, mostly people like myself
who were on short term contracts working for various organisations,
though there were also some permanent residents. We were very amateur, but
enthusiastic, and had performed Mozart's requiem in the Cathedral in Mbabane (
the capital city) not long before. We were amazed to be invited to sing at the
funeral. Apparently King Sobhuza very much loved Handel's Hallelujah chorus and
wanted it to be sung. There would also be other local choirs singing hymns and
traditional songs. We practised in the short time available and awaited the day
in trepidation.
We wore our normal choir costume on the day; the men
in black suits and white shirts, the women in black skirts and white blouses.
We arrived at the venue and were ushered to some tiered seating close to the
central area where the King's casket would be displayed. To our right, another
tiered seating area housed many African dignitaries including Piet Botha of
South Africa, who must have been somewhat disconcerted to find himself seated
near Oliver Tambo, the exiled president of the banned African National
Congress. Prince Michael of Kent represented Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and I
believe that there were delegates from 24 countries present.
The body of the King was carried to a central dais
and the wooden casket was covered by flags. His body was said to be embalmed
and was in the sitting position. Some caught a glimpse of him as the casket had
a glass side and the flags lifted briefly in the breeze. He would later be
taken to a secret location high in the
mountains where his body would be left in a cave, known only to the
guards and shepherds. As far as I know, these sacred caves continue to be
guarded 24hours a day.
The funeral began with the Swazi National anthem.
More than 20,000 people were gathered and the warriors kept up a low wailing
sound punctuated by whistles. The Queen Regent, known as Indlovukazi ( Great
She Elephant) arrived along with a multitude of the king's wives and children.
She was barefoot, as were all the women, wearing animal skins and a headband
with a scarlet feather, symbol of the Royal clan. We stood out in a group during
the grieving family's arrival and sang the Hallelujah chorus, accompanied by a
rather tinny keyboard. It was difficult to make the sound carry as there was a
breeze and we had no amplification.
The Queen Regent was one of his senior wives and had
a boy aged about 11. There was no clear order of succession as we would expect
from European monarchies, but there was a rule that the new king should be an
only child. and so her only son would take the throne once his education was complete.
During the ceremony, a band formed from the ranks of
the police and army played and a respected Swazi choir sang hymns. The only two
planes of the Swazi Air Force flew
over.
A mausoleum has been built at the site of the dais
where King Sobhuza was displayed during the funeral and a small museum and
cultural centre open to foreign visitors provides a tribute to this man's long
reign. He had ruled with the knowledge that he was respected, and lived a
simple life. At that time in the 1980's, though there was poverty, the country
remained politically stable under his beneficent rule.
To attend his funeral was a very great honour and I hope one day, to revisit Swaziland and see the exhibition depicting King Sobhuza's life.
