I realized that I may someday want a long Swaziland reading list in a central location, so I decided to start a list on here.  I will keep updating this list as I read more.  Most highly recommended books/articles are listed first.  Most of these relate to the politics of Swaziland.  (I had to write a lot of grad school papers this semester.)  There’s TONS more out there that I have yet to discover, so stay tuned for updates!  

O’Neil, Owen Rowe.  Adventures in Swaziland: The Story of a South African Boer. (Free on Kindle!)

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING!  This is Heart of Darkness, but real life.  It’s the autobiography of a colonial Boer’s coming-of-age in Swaziland around the turn of the 20^th century.  I was cringing at the number of times O’Neil can write ‘savage’ on one page, as well as his sensationalist account of Bhunu’s short but cruel reign.  The matter-of-fact way O-Neil describes his treatment of slaves, his own murdering of blacks, and his utter disdain for the ‘lesser’ race is absolutely bone-chilling.  However, it is an important time piece, and a well-written book.  It provides a stark contrast to the academic, politically correct literature in the rest of this list.  His descriptions of Swazi customs around this time are fascinating, but should probably be taken with a grain of salt.   

Fleminger, David (2009).  Swaziland Southbound Travel Guide.

Most thorough and up-to-date guidebook for the more serious traveler.  It also includes a great deal of Swazi history as well as detailed histories of the places it recommends visiting.  The tidbits make it worth it.  For instance, a queen in the 1700s boiled her son’s right hand in porridge so that he would be forced out of the succession due to Swazi suspicions about left-handedness!  Information about border crossings, highways, transport, etc. is also good and up-to-date.  A must-read! 

Gillis, D. Hugh. (1999). The Kingdom of Swaziland: Studies in Political History. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Fantastically thorough political history of Swaziland, beginning with Swaziland’s consolidation in the early 1800s up to the 1980s.  People who are interested in politics will get the most out of this book.

Kuper, Hilda. (1986). The Swazi: South African Kingdom. New York, NY: CBS College   Publishing.

Written by an anthropologist who spent many years in Swaziland.  Generally good at history, cultural practices, and profiling modernization.  Most other prolific works cite her as a source, and she has many interesting tidbits that I have yet to read in other books.  This is updated from an earlier book based on research conducted in the 1930s.   

Liebenow, Debra.  In the Kingdom of Roses and Thorns.

Fiction, but could be true stories.  The stories of 5 Swazi women of different worlds and life experiences.  All of these stories are simply narrated, giving it an easy-read vibe.  Definitely a tear-jerker.  It also does an excellent job of highlighting some of the greatest tragedies of Swaziland in a non-judgmental way- AIDS, the violence and oppression of patriarchy, and neo-colonialism are all expertly weaved into the plots. 

Potholm, Christian. (1972). Swaziland: The Dynamics of Political Modernization. Berkley, CA: University of California Press.

Excellent modernization-theory book.  Potholm examines the question as to why Swaziland remained a monarchy, despite the generally opposite trend in other post-colonial African states.  He concludes that the strength of the monarchical political institutions, as well as their ability to adapt to a Western political culture were key, although there are other, less-important factors discussed in the book.  (Basically, the pre-colonial political institution of the highly-centralized monarchy just changed its name to become a political party). 

Marwick, Brian. (1966). The Swazi: An Ethnographic Account of the Natives of the Swaziland Protectorate.  London: Cambridge University Press.  

Similar to Kuper’s work.  Also cited as an important source for later works.  Haven’t actually read this one yet, so I’m not able to give an opinion. 

Booth, Alan. (1983). Swaziland: Tradition and Change in a Southern African Kingdom. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, Inc.

Good book, but a bit redundant of other, better reads.  Also a bit colonial.

Kuper, Hilda. (1978).  Sobhuza II: Ngwenyama and King of Swaziland, The story of an      hereditary ruler and his country.  New York, NY: Africana Publishing Company.

Another book by Kuper.  A highly detailed read, mostly discusses the political history in great detail, but also some interesting cultural ideas about interactions with colonists.

Lange, Matthew K. (2004). British Colonial Legacies and Political Development. World    Development, 32(6), 905-922.

Basically, whether a country was ruled by the British directly or indirectly determined a lot about their post-colonial political development.  A dual system like Swaziland’s is not discussed, but it really matches the indirectly ruled model closely. 

            

Miller, Norman. (1968). The Political Survival of Traditional Leadership. Journal of Modern African Studies, 6(2), 183-198.

Modernization literature piece, so it’s somewhat dated in its theory.  However, the discussion of the political role of traditional leadership is great for political science students.

           

Mkandawire, Thandika. (2010). On Tax Efforts and Colonial Heritage in Africa. Journal of Development Studies, 46(10), 1647-1669.

Basically, the post-colonial tax systems line up with the colonial tax systems.  Whites get a free ride, and poor blacks pay the brunt of it. 

Barker, Dudly. (1965). Swaziland. London:  Her Majesty’s Stationary Office. 

Extremely colonial and superficial, but worth getting a late-colonial British perspective.

Sihlongonyana, Mfaniseni. (2003). The Invisible Hand of the Royal Family in the Political Dynamics of Swaziland.  African and Asian Studies, 2(2), 155-181. 

Different explanations for the continuation of the Swazi monarchy are summarized. 

Sangmpan, S.N. (2007).  Politics Rules: The False Primacy of Institutions in Developing Countries.  Political Studies (55)1, 201-224.

 Not Swaziland specific, but this article offers an alternative perspective on the role of institutions in developing countries.

Movies:

Wah-Wah

Movie about a colonial British family failing apart around Swazi independence period

Without the King

Banned by his majesty Mswati III, this movie is fantastic at highlighting wealth inequality and political oppression in the Kingdom.  It is an extremely important film.

 Life, Above All

South African film which won a lot of awards, and it could be relevant to Swaziland.  A girl shows courage as she cares for her dying mother and prostitute friend.  She battles the stigma of her community with quiet grace.  It will leave you reaching for the tissues, but the ending is hopeful!