Africa-Press – Eswatini. Unprecedented impressive numbers were witnessed at this year’s Incwala Main Day held at Ludzidzini Royal Residence yesterday.
Thousands of regiments descended to the traditional headquarters, pouring from all four corners of the country, and the world to dance the main Incwala.
The regiments ranged from Lacwebetelako, Lutsango, Ingaja, Imbali, Ngengeni and boKhololo. Despite the scorching heat and humid atmosphere, the regiments were not discouraged to participate in the ceremony.
Emakhosikati, Emazinyane, Sigodlo, Balondolozi and members of the Royal family also formed part of the national event.
The cattle byre where the singing and dancing takes places was filled to capacity, such that it was not easy to move around.
For the love of their culture and Their Majesties, Emaswati who were resolute on dancing decided to dance outside the cattle byre because ayibukelwa.
Notably, others were found under trees, parking lots and around the royal residence, jammed and loaded as they scattered around every corner.
In unity and one accord, the nation, regiments and visitors exhibited their zeal and energy when His Majesty King Mswati III entered the arena to inspect the guard of honour, where he was welcomed by a thunderous shout of ‘Bayethe!’ which reverberated around the area.
Upon entering the cattle byre, he inspected the different regiments including Lacwebetelako, Ingaja and greeted diplomats, before joining in the dance which lasted over three hours.
Visitors who witnessed the ceremony were in awe and will have a tale to pass on to their relatives and generations to come.
The Incwala ceremony started with the dispatching of the water party, and the Little Incwala started 18 days ago upon their return, which has been danced at Ludzidzini, Ngabezweni, Mpumalanga and Ebuhleni Royal Residences.
… Attendance has greatly increased over the years
Emaswati seem more welcoming and embracing their identity depicted by the increase in the number of people who attend traditional ceremonies, including Incwala.
Senator Linda Nxumalo said the numbers had steadily increased over the years, which led to the great numbers experienced yesterday.
The former Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA) chief executive officer also noted the increase in the number of tourists attending Incwala from several continents.
She expressed appreciation to Their Majesties for preserving culture and keeping it undiluted, which she said made visitors experience culture for what it truly was.
Nxumalo also appreciated Emaswati for advocacy and promoting their country.
She appreciated the youth as well, stating that they were the ones who normally had access to the different social media platforms.
“The number of Emaswati and visitors have impressively increased over the years. The visitors now also want to participate and be part of the national events, which is very pleasing as they experience our culture.
“What we have also seen is that Emaswati love their culture, and are embracing who they are.
The advent of social media like Instagram and TikTok has showed that Emaswati are proud of who they are, we will be seeing this in the next few days,” Senator Nxumalo stated.
Nana Dlamini said she was amazed by the many people who had been attending since day one.
She said she had attended the cultural event from the first day, dancing at Ludzidzini Royal Residence.
She also praised those who donned their traditional regalia properly, noting that only a few still needed assistance whom she referred to as imincugulu. Dlamini said an exception would be for tourists as they were first-timers.
traditions
“The numbers attest that Emaswati really love their culture, traditions and Their Majesties because they adhered to the national call. It is sad to notice some of us attending the event without the proper traditional regalia, especially because we knew about this cultural activity since the beginning of the year. I understand though that imvunulo is expensive,” she clarified.
Lomasiko Maseko said she was elated to be part of the revered cultural event and wished it could have begun earlier, but understood that the celestial and astronomical bodies had to be assessed first to set the dates of the national prayer as per culture.
Maseko noted that she attended the Little Incwala with her family; two children and two of her sisters.
She said the children were thrilled to attend Incwala as they were excited that they could identify His Majesty King Mswati III from a closer view, whom they normally saw in the media.
“One of my daughters cannot stop but keep on saying she was happy to see the king at close range. She also experienced the praise-singing and also made new friends before the trumpet was blown marking the start of the day’s activities,” she said.
Tourists, on the other hand, appreciated the country’s hospitality, great scenery and the holiday experience, which included the Little Incwala.
One of the tourists, Sita Gunasakaran, who is travelling from Malaysia with her brother Shangkara, and other family members, said they had carefully planned their week to coincide with the Incwala ceremony.
However, she revealed that they had initially planned to embark on their visit in September in order to watch the Reed Dance ceremony, but their mother who works in one of the embassies in the country shared information about Incwala.
“The people I spoke to have shared how indigenous knowledge is embedded within Incwala. It is basically a lovely experience to be here. In the past two days, I visited one of the royal residences and this is my second day here,” he said.
Zukiswa Zimbili from Eastern Cape said the whole experience was an adventure for her.
Zimbili said she noticed that the nation loved its culture and that she even bought a kanga. She promised not to miss the ceremony even next year.
For More News And Analysis About Eswatini Follow Africa-Press
