#Swaziland's One-sided History: List of kings and Queen Regents (1745 - present)*

• Ngwane III: 1745–1780 (The first King of modern Swaziland)
• LaYaka Ndwandwe (Queen Regent): 1780
• Ndvungunye (Zikodze, Mavuso II): 1780–1815
• Lomvula Mndzebele (Queen Regent): 1815
• Sobhuza I (Somhlolo): 1815–1839
• Lojiba Simelane (Queen Regent): 1836–1840
• Mswati II (Mavuso III): 1840–1868
• Tsandzile Ndwandwe (Queen Regent): July 1868 – June 1875
• Crown Prince Ludvonga II (Macaleni) - Never became King
• Dlamini IV (Mbandzeni): 1875–1889
• Tibati Nkambule (Queen Regent): 7 April 1889 – 1894
• Ngwane V (Mahlokohla): January 1895 – 10 December 1899
• Labotsibeni Gwamile Mdluli (Queen Regent): 10 December 1899 – 7 August 1903
• Labotsibeni Gwamile Mdluli (Queen Regent): 7 August 1903 – 22 December 1921
• Sobhuza II: 22 December 1921 – 2 September 1982
• Mswati III: 25 April 1986 - present

*Source: Wikipedia: Please place information on the comments section to correct anything on the post

#Swaziland's One-sided History: Ancient Kings or Chiefs (pre–1745)*

• Mkhulunkosi
• Qomizitha
• Sukuta
• Madlasomo
• Ndlovu
• Ngwekati
• Mawawa/Kuwawa
• Sidvwabasilutfuli
• Gebase
• Kunene
• Nkabingwe
• Madlabane
• Hhili
• Dulunga
• Dondobola
• Sihuba
• Mlangeni
• Msimudze
• Mbhondlo|Mbhondlo/Mbhoholo
• Tembe
• Sikhulumaloyo
• Langa Samuketi
• Nkomo
• Khabako
• Nkosi I: 1355–1400
• Ngwane I: 1400–1435
• Dlamini I (Matalatala): 1435-1465
• Mswati I: 1480–1520
• Ngwane II: 1520–1550
• Dlamini II: 1555–1600
• Nkosi II: 1600–1640
• Mavuso I: 1645–1680
• Magudulela: 1685–1685
• Ludvonga I: 1685–1715
• Dlamini III: 1720–1744 

* Source: Wikipedia. Please place information on the comment section if there is some information which needs correction

Update on Ayanda Mkhabela who was recklessly injured by Royal Swaziland Police vehicle

By the SRC President of the University of Swaziland

Issued: 12 May 2016

Introduction

On Tuesday the 2nd of May 2016 I left the country for Port Elizabeth to check on Ayanda Mkhabela who is currently undergoing physiotherapy in Aurora hospital after she was injured by a police casspir during a students’ protest which took place on the 22nd of February 2016. The visit was facilitated by the university management after a request made by the Students Representative Council. I spent one night in Johannesburg and proceeded to Port Elizabeth the following day by air transport.

The purpose of the visit was to get to know the wellbeing and wishes of Ayanda after the accident and this purpose was not an end in itself. The ultimate one is to inform the rest of the university community and all those who are concerned and who remain with unfading support for Ayanda and which have been unfortunately and deliberately deprived information regarding the welfare of Ayanda. It should be on record that it was the Students Representative Council's first time to officially meet Ayanda after the accident following that students’ leaders were never accorded the opportunity to meet her while she was in Swaziland's health facilities and they were further not accorded the opportunity to bid her farewell when she was transferred to Port Elizabeth. It should also be on record that the office of the Dean of Students Affairs made constant visits to Ayanda without the Students’ Representative Council while under normal and professional circumstances it was supposed to involve the students’ council.

I had an opportunity to meet Ayanda on Wednesday the 3rd and Thursday the 4th of May 2016 in her hospital ward; ward B11. I was pleased and encouraged to learn that Ayanda remains strong and she is taking the blow tough as it may be like a strong woman. She was lively and visibly happy for the duration of my stay with her although we would have some tense moments in some part of our discussion. Consciously aware of the sensitiveness of her situation, I made a plea to her that she openly and honestly divulge her thoughts, feelings and wishes without reservation and she just did. We discussed the protest, the accident, her stay in the two health facilities of Swaziland, her move to Aurora and her welfare there, the Justice for Ayanda Campaign and her wishes moving forward.

Ayanda’s thoughts on the protest and the accident.

To begin with, Ayanda does not see herself as a victim of an unjust course and she openly declared that she does not regret herself taking part in the protests despite that it resulted on her being injured. She said she was not invited nor was she forced to join the strike but she did so voluntary and she does not regret that. She holds the view that she is a victim of a police force that refuses to modernise and one that still carries with it medieval operation principles. She believes that the demands that the students were raising were genuine. Ayanda will give much of her account on the accident to a commission of inquiry but she did declare to me that she heard that the police officer who was driving the casspir went to her family to apologise for his act and she have not yet come to her but she was firm on that she will never forgive that police officer so long as she will be on a wheel chair.

Ayanda further said that she will continue to support all students’ struggles that are waged on behalf of the underprivileged young people of the institution.

Her stay in Swaziland’s health facilities.

Ayanda was first transported to Ralegh Fitkin Memorial Hospital (RFM) after the accident, she was transported unconscious in a police van that was not designed to ferry people on her condition. First, she decries the manner in which she was transported to hospital and she hold the view that perhaps if the police waited for paramedics she would not have suffered this much. In her account, he gained her full consciousness in RFM hospital, it is there where she learnt that she was injured but she could not recall a lot that had happened before. She recalls that police officers visited her and asked her if she remembers what happened and she responded to the contrary and they told her that she was trampled on by protesting students. However, this claim is nullified by the scars on her back and the extent of her injury and the masses of students who were there during the night of the protests.

She was them moved to Manzini Clinic where she was operated and where the sad news was divulged. It is here where several attempts by the SRC to see her were futile and she said she was never consulted by anyone on the decision to prohibit students’ leaders and she would always appreciate our visits.
She believes her move to a physiotherapy hospital has been helpful. In her account, when she got to Aurora she couldn’t sit up on her own and all she could do was sleeping but now she can sit up straight and exercise. She however expressed the convenience of being in Aurora, she said she is bothered by being far from her child, family and friends.

Ayanda’s health and welfare in Aurora Hospital

Doctors in Swaziland concluded that her chances of using her lower limbs are very minimal and indeed Ayanda will be done with her physiotherapy treatment by 30 May 2016 but still there is no little promise that the condition might change. According to her, she does not feel soft touches on her lower parts of the body. Ayanda further openly expressed that she has lost weight in the facility something which she thinks is caused by the food she is served at the facility. She said the food sometimes becomes so terrible such that she would not swallow two mouthfuls. She was not afraid to declare that she raised this concern to the university management during one of their visits but that concern was absolutely ignored.

She further complained of boredom, she is virtually alone inside her ward with only her laptop and a television which she no longer find interesting.

Ayanda also expressed that she dearly misses her child and family and her university friends.

What are Ayanda’s wishes?

Her first and foremost wish is to be able to walk again. Ever since the news that she might never walk again were brought to her, her trust is remaining with God. She believes that if it will not be by God's wisdom to provide for medical breakthroughs that will help her it will be by miracles through his servants on earth.
Second, she is conscious of that her new condition will deprive her lot of things. She will not be able to do some of the things she used to do before and life will be undoubtedly difficult. It is her wishes to be independent like she was before her new condition, to enjoy all the God given and social rights that will keep her dignity intact and she does not wish to reach the point of being a beggar on the streets.

Ayanda also wishes to remain a student of the University of Swaziland despite that most of the facilities in the institution do not accommodated people of her condition.

Lastly, she wishes to see the law taking its course to the police officers who was driving the caspir.

Her appeal for all assistance

Ayanda is grateful and highly appreciates all the form of assistance and support that she has been receiving from students, the university management, the church, the civil society and the general public. She prays that God blesses all of them equally and abundantly.

She refuted the notion that her matter shall be left on her family to deal with it with respect and privacy. She expressed that she only leans on her grandmother and grandfather and she believes that this load is far bigger than them. She therefore appeals for assistance to everyone who might assist her in whatever way during her tough times.

Conclusion

The Student Representative Council joins Ayanda in expressing its gratitude to all those who have assisted her in whatever way and we also join her in the appeal for assistance. We fully support her wishes and it is our pledge that we will fight to the end for the realisation of her wishes. To us these wishes are sound and genuine. We would like to as well thank the university management for facilitating this visit and we further urge it to join all forces genuinely and with utmost sincerity in seeking to ensure justice for Ayanda. Justice for Ayanda is nothing else but the realisation of the above mentioned wishes. The university must begin to prepare itself for accommodating people with disabilities, not just for Ayanda but for all the people with disabilities in the country who have the potential of getting to the university. We further urge the management to avail its personnel to objectively advice and assist the Student’s Representative Council in the quest for ensuring her justice as defined.

Report by Brian Sangweni

UNISWA SRC President

UNISWA SRC President says: Ayanda Mkhabela deserves justice!

"We shall refuse to let Ayanda's story to be buried in the dustbin of history"

Issued: Wednesday 4 May 2016.

We still remember what happened on the 22 of February 2016 as if it was yesterday, when Ayanda Mkhabela a young brilliant woman with a bright future was deliberately injured by the Royal Swaziland Police within the university premises. The police's presence was ironically claimed to be a common measure to protect life and property within the institution whilst it was clearly established that their sole mission was to massacre students so to set an example of what those who fight for their rights in the country should be ready to experience. This was followed by barring students' leaders from visiting Ayanda while she was in Swaziland's health facilities and we have no single doubt that it was part of the mission of asserting the horrible experience that the state is capable of inducing to human rights activists in their different sectors.

The formula is clear and well thought: brutally deal with the individual and cut all his/her sources of support. She/he must not hear anything from those who support her/him and it should be only those who condemn her/him who shall be availed to offer sham sympathy. This was the same case with the likes of Thulani Maseko, Bheki Makhubu, Maxwell Dlamini, Mario Masuku and others during their gloomy days in incarceration. All their supporters and sincere sympathizers from across the world were given hard times to see them.

In the case of Ayanda, students and the public at large remain in the dark on what is going on with her. Students' leaders have not been getting any updates on how she is coping while the university management played mother dovey to her and of course in collaboration with the state police. They took her away to a remote facility in South Africa, strategically so to ensure that nobody of the common class ever think of seeing her.

However, we have been unequivocal on that students and the world at large deserve to know what is going on with Ayanda, more particularly the concerns that the clever woman cannot divulge to sham sympathizers who are hell bent at doing damage control of something irreparable. We have continuously raised the matter without despair to all the structures of the university and at long last, exactly after 2 full month of the incident, the Student Representative Council has been accorded the chance to meet Ayanda for the first time. I am currently in Port Elizabeth where Ayanda is and I have met her today and I will be seeing her tomorrow morning as well. We cannot celebrate this minor victory over the state mission but we are glad that our fight has not been in vain as finally students and the world will get to know the bare feelings of our sister. The visit is not a friendly one but one whose purpose is to inform all those who are concerned about the being of our sister.

We would like to thank everyone who remains supportive to Ayanda and the Mkhabela family and furthermore, we urge them to carry on with the spirit.
We shall ensure justice for Ayanda and all UNISWA students.

By Brian Sangweni

UNISWA SRC President 

Fifteen years ago I had a baby and kept him secret from everyone, and there’s more…

Now that I have your attention, what would you do if your spouse of five years sat you down and said to you, “Baby, I'm sorry, but fifteen years ago I had a child and I have been keeping him secret all this time from everyone.”? Has something like this ever happened to you or someone you know? Let us know in the comments section.

Beautiful, for a dark skinned girl… - By Nomsa Lusanda Mbuli

How many of you have heard the phrases, ‘Nkhwishinga’, ‘Mnyamane’ or ‘Untima’? I have, many times growing up and I still hear them today. All these gross and offensive words are used to describe a dark-skinned person. And the words used to describe a light-skinned person are nothing less than endearments, ‘ntombemhlophe’, ‘ntombenhle’ or ‘umlungu’. We live in a country and world that perceives dark skin as evil, as something that people should not be proud of. And anything light-skinned is respectable, beautiful, and what everyone should aspire to be. That is how this yellow-bone controversy was born. Women, young and old seek societal validation by bleaching their skin to reach the appropriate pretty that is perceived by the media and society. Many fall under this pressure.

It is sickening to have to watch someone being shamed for the colour of their skin, and society expecting dark skinned women to be apologetic about the amount of melanin their skin is able to produce. Global sales for skin-lightening cream remain steady. Photo-shopped images in which the model’s skin has been lightened are commonplace, and the portrayal of this kind of beauty is the reason why most people run helter skater looking for ‘ikekesi’.

MORE: Gender Roles Must Fall! – By Nomsa Lusanda Mbuli

Not only are companies that make skin-lightening products making money, the market has extended to technology as well. There are applications that can be downloaded that edit photos to give you lighter skin. On Facebook the ‘filter’ feature is used constantly when uploading pictures, and the prettier the picture, meaning the more ‘filtered’ it is, the more ‘likes’ that picture will receive. But growing up as a child who knew little more than the fact that we were all Black and shared that basic commonality, and knowing even now that we will always share that commonality, I was and still am deeply confused and pained by the lack of acceptance and the bullying that darker skinned people, especially women, experience. Women do not need this. They are already facing many different challenges, being killed and violated, being discriminated against in the workplace and being left to care for children while the father is out gallivanting with other women. Worrying about their skin and spending way too much money on products that will make them ‘prettier’ is an unnecessary burden to their already unbearable struggles.

When a few years ago came this woman, Alek Wek, proud and confident in embracing her flawless skin in her absolute beauty. Even though she was still objectified sexually, she showed everyone that being dark skinned is not what defines an individual. A person’s beauty cannot be summed up by the colour of her skin. In fact, no matter how ‘yellow-bone’ one may be, it does not change the fact that they are still Black, it does not make you White, it only makes you ‘light skinned’, and being light skinned does not make you superior.

A conversation about phrases like ‘You are really beautiful for a Black girl’, or ‘For a fat chick, you are prettier than some skinny girls’, needs to start soon. The truth is, we all equally matter. And the beauty of it is that we are all Black, all resilient, and we are committed to learning and unlearning all of these complex stereotypes. In order to be able to move forward and heal, we need to start addressing the ways that some of us get privilege at each other’s expense. And this yellow-bone trend must stop. 

[MORE: The Most Comfortable Stiletto; Get Rid of Beauty Pageants – By Nomsa Lusanda Mbuli

Who created Mvelinchanti?

PART A – When Mvelinchanti features nowhere in the people’s lives

Some Swazis present the Swazi “religion” as belief in, and worship of, Mvelinchanti who is the Almighty God, the same Christian God who “created the heavens, the earth and everything else.” The same seems to obtain in some other African countries, especially in Southern Africa. They claim that Africans strictly worship Mvelinchanti, but only that labaphansi (ancestors) intercede for them. That is, they send their prayers to God (Mvelinchanti) through the ancestors (labaphansi), just like Christians have Jesus Christ and the Saints.

When we trace what actually takes place in the people’s regular activities, however, we find no mention of Mvelinchanti in any part of the Swazi people’s way of life. By “way of life” we presuppose a group of people who have not yet received or accepted Christianity; traditionalists. Even king Mswati in his speeches sometimes says he thanks “God and the ancestors” for whatever event he is grateful for.

Ancestors protect us

Using our own experiences, and through the vast SiSwati literature that we have had the liberty of reading, we trace how Swazis have been living. Every time we always find that when a family member is undertaking a long journey, the family elders request that labaphansi go with her or him and protect that individual member from dangers along the way. They never say, “May Mvelinchanti protect you.” No! They specifically mention labaphansi. Neither do they request that labaphansi should request Mvelinchanti to protect you.

Ancestors welcome us when we die

When a family member dies, the ancestors are alerted of the death. Throughout the funeral and mourning process, they are updated about what is happening and what step will take place next. Mvelinchanti is never mentioned. When the body leaves the home, the elders speak to labaphansi, alert them that one of their own is leaving the home for good and then ask them to welcome her or him with warm arms. Where, when, how, and by whom, was this Mvelinchanti created then? Surely she or he should be mentioned somewhere if she or he is known by Swazis. Not so?

All events are reported to the ancestors

When Swazis have events coming up, such as a wedding ceremony, they never forget to alert the ancestors and request that the event be a success. Sometimes they simply slaughter a beast for the ancestors to remember and celebrate them. But somehow, Mvelinchanti never gets any mention. Neither does she or he even get a small party. Not even a small goat is slaughtered for Mvelinchanti.

When ancestors are angry

Sometimes it happens that natural disasters happen and people’s houses get blown off, amongst other things. Sometimes a whole family or community gets attacked by a killer disease. We see again here that the people interpret this as a sign of anger from the ancestors for some wrong that has been committed by them, or by some amongst them which has been allowed to continue. When these things happen, Swazis again slaughter a beast in order to appease and calm down the anger of the ancestors (labaphansi). Yet they never appease the “real creator” of everything, Mvelinchanti! Does it not make you ask why?

PART B: Investigating the real creator of Mvelinchanti

In Part A we found that Mvelinchanti is not known to the people of Swaziland. We must now investigate the roots of Mvelinchanti.

Emergence of the word

The first point is to investigate when the word “Mvelinchanti” actually started appearing. Was it there, for instance, before colonialism? Was it there before the arrival of Christian missionaries? If our investigation finds that the word “Mvelinchanti” was non-existent before these events, it will add to evidence that the “Mvelinchanti” title was either coined by the Christian missionaries in trying to convince Swazis to accept Christianity as an equal to the Swazi “religion” or was designed by Swazis to “upgrade” their “religion” to that of the Christians so that it can be acceptable to the new powerful white masters (colonisers). This “upgrading” may show that when the colonialists overpowered the Swazis and thereafter imposed their “superior” religion, Swazis had no choice but to either unreservedly accept the colonialists’ religion or upgrade their own by polluting it with the new more powerful religion or both.

This is only a beginning of our investigation. We will continue, as the days go, to search for Mvelinchanti’s roots. If we cannot find her or him, then we must find the one who created her or him.

--

NB: In this article, we use “Swazis” because that is the society in which the primary author of the article has lived most of his life in Swaziland and thus has actual knowledge of the place. It may as well refer to other societies where “Mvelinchanti” or a similar being “exists.”

Important advice to all lovers: Don't miss this important talk

So, you fall in love, perhaps get married. But then in any relationship you must be able to freely talk to each other. I’m not referring to talking when there are problems between the two of you. I’m about everyday talk. Let’s see how you will fare as I help you build your relationship.

Soapies

Let’s say that you will talk about Generations, Isidingo, Skeem Saam, Isibaya, Bold & The Beautiful, Scandal, etc. Oops! Your partner does not like soapies. Then, no talks about soapies for the two of you. Let’s quickly move on.

Sports

Since soapies don’t provide a meeting place for the two of you, I suggest you talk about sports. Then you’ll have some interesting thoughts about the weekend games, who’ll be the next world player of the year, and who’ll win the South African premiership this season. Hey, you can even talk about whether Collins Mbesuma will be the top goal scorer this year. Interesting discussions, I can already foresee.

Ooh no! Now I remember that your partner wants nothing to do with sports. Soccer is even worse! Your partner, if I recall, just loves soapies. If you can love soapies too, you can be the best of lovers, joined at the hip. Your partner simply thinks that Christiano Ronaldo was once a contestant in America’s Next Top Model and always wonders why the Swaziland national team coach never plays Didier Drogba when he is so good. So, I guess sports are a definite no for the both of you. So let’s move on.

News and politics

Yep! Now I’ve figured it out. You both have brains, right? Good! Speak about the news and politics. Speak about the ongoing USA elections processes. Donald Trump is getting on everybody’s nerves, except the white supremacists. That’s a good start. Go on and talk about the influence of the Gupta family in South African politics. How about the recent African Union summit? I’m sure it will work. It’s still fresh in your minds. Zimbabwe president, Robert Mugabe, is a very interesting leader. Don’t you think?

Well, I see your face frowning and then I remember that by the way your partner gets easily bored by news and politics, whether community, regional, national or world.

Your partner, by the way, doesn’t care whether the Syrian war is still continuing or not, and literally doesn’t even know where Syria is. Yes, you can talk a lot about the atomic bomb that was dropped by the USA on Japan and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Japanese people, but your partner doesn’t even know that there was ever a war of such magnitude! Sorry, I didn’t mean to be this blunt.  

Showbiz and entertainment

Now, here is an area where the both of you can meet. You’ve both gone through teenage years, and thus have a wealth of knowledge in these issues. You’ve sang along R Kelly’s songs from track 1 to the last in every album, marvelled at the magnificent voice of Whitney Houston.

But let’s face it, the only reason you are talking about the Oscar Awards is because you feel that black people are marginalised in these awards, although you don’t even know half the black actors and actresses that have actually been overlooked (Eish you and I are in the same boat on this one). But then your partner is a direct opposite of you in this regard; cares little about some ‘non-existent’ Hollywood racism, but knows almost all the top actors and actresses.

Speaking of opposites…

Opposites attract

Opposites attract, right? This should be it. The fact that you are opposites on all the above-mentioned fields is the reason for your spark. Isn’t it? Well, but even if you are opposites, which ought to attract the two of you to each other, you’ll still have to talk, just talk, nothing more. What will you talk about? Or you will allow your “opposites” get you to interact? When you are sitting on your couch, as you watch Karabo on Generations saying she wants to marry two husbands or when you watch Suffocate’s little brother on Rhythm City having some secret good times with his big brother’s wife, what will you be saying to each other? Oh you’ll be reading the newspaper? I see.

Alright, if everything else fails, you’ll speak about Eritrea then! Eish, but this might not work out very well.

Today’s session is over. Let’s investigate other areas of interaction tomorrow because today we couldn’t find any meeting point except…

Gender Roles Must Fall! – By Nomsa Lusanda Mbuli

A couple of weeks ago my colleagues had a discussion about lobola, and discussions like that automatically lead to a discussion about gender roles. The general assumption is that a man pays lobola for a woman and in return she spends the rest of her life catering to his needs. Well, that’s basically what it boils down to. She finds herself having to cook for him, wash his clothes, clean after him, iron his clothes and give him children while he rules the world. But that is just what happens in the privacy of our homes. The unfortunate thing is that these inequalities that are at home are reflected at higher national levels. These general practices that put women at the back, ‘in the kitchen’, are the very practices that leave women behind. Because of these traditional practices, we still rarely see women in senior positions. 

For Swaziland as a developing country, it is important that the economy capture the contribution of all its female citizens. By ignoring women in development, we will cut out half the country’s contribution. The general feeling is that women gravitate towards child rearing and things around the home, while men gravitate toward construction projects. This kind of thinking leads to the idea that women should remain at home and raise children because that’s what they are especially suited for, while men must enter the work force and earn money because that is what they are especially suited for. But that mentality is so 1800s! The most amazing thing is that some of the supporters of this mentality, as was one of my colleagues, are women who are actually at work. The fact that she is at work while saying this should be an indication that times have changed, and so should our thinking.

The other thing that people do not understand is that in this time and age, a lot of people actually no longer fit in the boxes that were created for them before they were even born. People just no longer fit in these supposedly ‘natural’ gender roles. I know a lot of women who feel more comfortable solving mathematical problems than they do holding a baby. There are many families where the man prefers cooking while the woman tends to the yard. Most, if not all, of the cooking shows I have watched such as Master Chef and The Cake Boss have proven this fact in that most of these top chefs are men. There are other families where you find that the woman is the one who goes to work, while the man stays at home, in most cases with no source of income of his own. 

The reality is that people are incredibly diverse, for every ‘natural’ woman there is a woman who finds the idea of having children foreign and frightening. For every man who loves fixing things there is a man who prefers taking his car to a shop or calling a plumber. I know too many people, both men and women, who do not fit into these ‘natural’ gender roles that it begins to make the idea of natural gender roles seem absurd and restrictive. The reality is that such mentality pushes people into specific boxes, whether they want to be there or not. The other reality is that it creates hypocrites out of us. To hear a woman who wakes up every morning and bands over backwards taking care of her family, speak so strongly in favour of gender roles or hearing an unemployed man tell a woman ‘she belongs in the kitchen’ is very problematic and hypocritical. And that, frankly, is why I have a problem with these gender roles and boxes that society is panel beating women into.

The Most Comfortable Stiletto; Get Rid of Beauty Pageants – By Nomsa Lusanda Mbuli

Just before the end of last year (2015), the world witnessed the harshest embarrassment when Steve Harvey named the woman from Colombia Miss Universe, when the actual winner was from Philippines. Well, that’s what everyone thought was embarrassing. For me, the most awkward thing was that beauty pageants still exist. The contests are an old-fashioned reminder of exactly what we don’t want for women, and they should have no place in our future.

Many people argue that beauty pageants are empowering and I agree because they offer opportunities and scholarships. But what does that really mean? Does that mean that only beautiful people deserve opportunities and scholarships? What kind of empowerment picks and chooses a certain type of people? When positions of power in society are male dominated, winning a beauty pageant really makes no difference to the power relations in one’s country. Beauty contests de-humanize women by focusing on their physical appearance, which has everything to do with genetics and nothing that the contestant herself can control.

Beauty pageants send messages to young girls who may think that being beautiful is an accomplishment, that being chosen to participate is somehow a special honour to be a part of a contest that parades women as commodities. Perpetuating sexism by sexualisation of young girls and by judging women based on their looks is never going to be just harmless fun. I wish I could say that each contestant in any beauty contest is intelligent, cares about international issues, and wants to make a lasting difference in the world – but I cannot. Not because I doubt it is true, but because the judges decide to focus more on how hot these women are, and how well they can walk on stilettos. Only after cutting them down to the most ‘deserving’ five do they start asking the important questions. I suppose it is crucial to make sure a woman looks incredible in a bikini before asking her any questions about war or global warming. Maybe next time Barack Obama or Julius Malema want to comment on politics, we need to make sure that their beach bods measure up, too.

Some may say that these pageants are about celebrating the female body. Since when is universal female beauty, an image of a small-waisted, long straight haired, fair skinned, thin long legged, pouty-lipped young woman? Considering that only a few women fit this description, why do we celebrate this image? If the argument is that beauty pageants are for confident women, what exactly are these women confident about? Their good looks which are a result of genetics which appeal to local definition of beauty? Tweezing, waxing, dieting, foundation, mascara, eyeliner, eye-shadow, uncomfortable shoes, skimpy clothes, smiling endlessly – going through all these just to look good enough to be crowned the best?

Celebrating female beauty is problematic when they are based on sexist, racist, homophobic and able bodied notions of female beauty which excludes the vast majority of women. In December 2014, we were supposed to celebrate Bonang Matheba as the first Black South African woman to appear on the cover of Glamour Magazine. A magazine that was launched in South Africa in 2004. Is it possible that for over a decade, Glamour could not find a Black woman worth celebrating? And even then, Queen B appeared on that cover because she fits the societal (White) standards of beauty – lean, straight hair (weave) and tall. If we want to empower women, let us start by getting rid of beauty pageants and celebrating all types of women. Not just the ones that fit the box society creates for women.