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Mankessim Queen calls on King Mswati III
Story: Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho,
Back from Swaziland
Courtesy: Ubuntu Institute (South Africa)
The Queen of the Mankessim Traditional Area, Nana Ama Amissah III, has called for the preservation of African cultures for the benefit of future generations.
According to her, culture and traditions are what identify Africans as a people and, therefore, there is the need for the present generation to preserve them for the sake of posterity.
The Queen said this when she called on the King of the kingdom of Swaziland, His Majesty King Mswati III, and the Queen, Her Majesty indlovukazi, in Swaziland.
The Mankessim Queen was invited to the kingdom by the Royal Family to witness the ‘Reed Culture Dance’ festival of maidens from across Swaziland and to explore the possibility of organizing a cultural exchange program between the kingdom and her traditional area.
The Reed Dance is a puberty rite where thousands of maidens from across the Swazi kingdom are initiated into adulthood through a one week ceremony.
According to the Queen modernity and globalization has led to the adulteration of most of the rich cultural practices across the African continent and commended the Swazi kingdom for preserving their rich culture.
King Mswati III, who received the Mankessim Queen at the Eludzidzini Royal Residence, also reiterated the need for the preservation of the African culture and called for cultural exchange program among African cultures.
He said there was the need for Africans to be united through their various cultures, saying that it was only though culture that Africa could be united.
He said when Africans unite culturally, it would also lead to economic and political unity which would in the long run lead to a total unity of the whole continent.
He said the time has come for Africans to see themselves as one people for the developed of the continent.
The Mankessim Queen later presented a Kente cloth to the Queen of Swaziland at the Royal residence.
*Source:
Daily Graphic Page: 5 Friday, September 17, 2010 |