Swaziland, polygamy

[The_Flying_Dutchman]

My eldest daughter has informed me that she’s been dating a Swazilander for the past three months. I did some research on Swaziland whereupon I discover the king has quite a few wives. Naturally that concerns me. I can’t find anything to suggest that the practise is common there, but considering the fact that this young fellow appears to be from a wealthy family (ie. he could afford a few wives) I am somewhat concerned. Is there anything to worry about here?

[andy_fl]

The only thing I know about Swaziland, was from NPR sometime ago on the AIDS epidemic in Swaziland. It is wrong to stereotype, why don’t you ask the guy in question ?

[The_Flying_Dutchman]

My daughter lives in the big city, and I haven’t met him. Furthermore, I have no intention of embarassing them.

[Duck_Duck_Goose]

Apparently polygamy is quite common in Swaziland.

http://www.ecs.co.sz/cca/cca_1.htm

Swaziland is notable for its strong adherence to traditions. One such tradition is polygamy, which is still practised in Swaziland under customary law. The number of wives permissible is limited only by practical considerations, such as the ability to support, and to pay the bride price. Under civil law, however, only one wife is allowed, and she can be married either inside or outside of community of property. In effect, a woman is generally treated as a minor in both civil law and tradition, which will require change under Swaziland’s proposed ratification of CEDAW. The TFR of Swazi women remains amongst the highest in the world, but has been declining steadily- 6.9 births per lifetime in 1976, 6.6 in 19868 and an estimated 5.6 in 1996 9 - which if true (which is likely, but other sources indicate 6.1. 6.4 and 6.5) would still be a rate more typical of a low human development (HD) nation than one in the medium HD category.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200012050292.html

Culture Critical in Spread of AIDS

December 5, 2000
Posted to the web December 5, 2000

Vuyisile Hlatshwayo
Mbabane, Swaziland

Ranked second to Botswana as the worst country hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Southern Africa, Swazi HIV/AIDS activists unanimously agree that men can make a big difference in the fight against the killer disease.

< snip >

Amongst the cultural contributory factors to the spread of HIV/AIDS is multiplicity of sexual partners. A man in Swazi culture, who engages in multiple sexual encounters, is called “Ingwanwa” which denotes a positive thing, while a woman in a similar act is called “Ingwandla,” which means “it is very derogative.”

Even women themselves generally accept men’s sexual promiscuity.

http://www.peacelink.it/afrinews/77_issue/p6.html

August 2002

Swaziland
NGOs lead in the war against AIDS
Health
By James Hall

In the central commercial hub, Manzini, Swaziland’s most populous urban centre, 55 per cent of women between 20 and 30 years old are HIV-positive, and 44 per cent of women aged between 30 and 40. “Next to possibly Gaberone, Botswana, no other city in the world is more heavily affected by HIV than Manzini,” Alan Brody, acting United Nations representative to Swaziland, told AFRICANEWS.

Polygamy is legal in Swaziland. This year, 34 year-old King Mswati took his eighth and ninth wife. The king says he takes a blood test every six months. Among common people, such diligence is not practiced, and through multiple wives an HIV-positive man can spread the virus quickly through a homestead. Traditional marriages, which require expensive cattle dowries, are on the decline, but the polygamous mindset is deeply rooted in the Swazi male psyche. Multiple girlfriends and out of wedlock births are the norm, not the exception.

While population growth has dropped statistically, from 3.6 percent per year a decade ago to 2.9 percent this year, the decrease is entirely due to AIDS deaths. The number of childbirths has not decreased, but increased. The result is another sad phenomenon faced by health NGOS accepting funding from NERCHA. “There will be up to 40,000 children left orphaned each year after their parents both die of AIDS,” says Dr. von Wissell. “That is a very high number for a nation of less than a million people.”

So I think you’ve got more to worry about than your daughter possibly having to share her man with a few other wives. Not that it’s any of my (or your) business, but for her sake, if she’s sleeping with him, I sure hope she’s making him wear a condom. (Like you needed to have this to worry about, right?)

Anyway, more stats.

According to the CIA factbook:

They have a 35.6% AIDS/HIV rate; a 37-year life expectancy; a 78% literacy rate; their Constitution was suspended in 1973 and they haven’t gotten around to formally introducing a new one, so they’re governed by just the King, Prime Minister, and Cabinet; they have no political parties, as they are banned by the Constitution which isn’t in force; they have a subsistence agriculture economy; a per capita income of $4,200; and a 34% unemployment rate.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/wz.html

In 1998 the Swaziland infant mortality rate was 62 per 1,000 live births, but according to the CIA it has risen to 109 per 1,000 live births.

http://www.ifrc.org/WHAT/health/archi/fact/Finfmort.htm

So IMO your daughter could do a lot better, and you’d be doing your grandchildren a big favor by having them born somewhere else.

Not that there’s anything you can do about it, I know.

[The_Flying_Dutchman]

Thankyou DDG, I really appreciate your efforts here. I wasn’t expecting anything quite so scarey.Now I’ve got to figure out how to best handle this.

[Duck_Duck_Goose]

Yeah, I know. Better you than me. It’s awful being the parent of theoretically “adult” children. My oldest just turned 18 recently and I sit here at night biting my nails, hoping she doesn’t come home with some hulking Neanderthal and say brightly, “Guess what we just did, Mom?”

She’s not in Swaziland, so at least I don’t have to worry that the correct answer will be, “He just paid a cow for me.” One less thing on the list.

Want Bib or somebody to move this over to MPSIMS or IMHO?

[The_Flying_Dutchman]

Nah, I really don’t want to get into it too much, I just wanted to get information. My daughter is not in Swaziland however as her boyfriend is a landed immigrant in Vancouver. I just have visions of them getting married and then moving to Swaziland. One does hear of male immigrants from third world countries marrying North Americans, and subjecting them to cultural disparities as far as women are concerned. For all I know at this point, he could still be a really great guy. I had my wife read your post, and considering those two talk a lot on the phone, her assessment is that we’re nowhere near a panic situation. We are expecting to meet him at Christmas. Thanks for caring DDG