Swaziland is the only absolute monarchy left in the world, and that status does not seem to be serving its subjects well. Mswati III has been king since 1986. GDP per capita is $9,800, and Swaziland has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. There are allegations that the nation’s wealth, which is also… [Read More]
Blog
Category: Africa
Lesotho: Sometimes There Is A Void
The Africa blogging project is down to the southern tip of the continent and Lesotho, a country with about two million people and the second-highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world. The country is surrounded by South Africa, which is how Zakes Mda ended up there – his father was the founder and president of the… [Read More]
Botswana: Cry of the Kalahari
Botswana is a small country, with 2.2 million people who would probably be in great shape if it weren’t for the high incidence of HIV/AIDS. It has a stable government, a literacy rate approaching 90%, and a GDP per capita of over $16,000. The nation’s big business is diamonds, but tourism generates a lot of… [Read More]
Namibia: Unfinished Business
Namibia was under the rule of the Republic of South Africa until it achieved independence in 1990, with the help of a civil war. This book is an academic text that evaluates the state of the nation’s democracy. I don’t normally read political science works, so it’s been interesting for me to see how it’s… [Read More]
Zimbabwe: We Need New Names
My African book project is starting to wrap up with We Need New Names: A Novelby NoViolet Bulawayo. It’s a coming of age story about modern Zimbabwe, involving a young girl whose childhood is spent in a nation in disarray. She eventually leaves for the United States, and then has to deal with the complications of… [Read More]