Swati artist educates about his culture
Regarding the dress code, he said unlike Zulus who wear animal skin, they dress up in pieces of cloths with Swati-inspired colours that have bold imprints of the Swazi King Mswati or a spear.
South Africa is a multi-cultured nation that boasts a total of 11 official languages.
Within those languages they form cultures that define every proudly South African citizen.
During Heritage Month, the Roodepoort Northsider is on a mission to educate our community about the beautiful cultures that define our nation by profiling different representatives of each culture.
Rising star Eric Mokaleng (Fresh Eric), a singer and songwriter from Mpumalanga province, sat down with the Northsider to share a bit about his rich Swazi culture.
He explained that Swati/ Swazi forms part of the Nguni clan and culture, and its proud people are identifiable by their accent, cultural dress and humbleness.
He also explained that their culture can be easily confused with AmaZulu due to their similarities. “The Zulu and Swazi cultures are very similar, especially our greetings and food. The language is a bit different but both are derived from the Nguni culture. Our language is usually described as soft and humble,” he educated.
Regarding the dress code, he said unlike Zulus who wear animal skin, they dress up in pieces of cloths with Swati-inspired colours that have bold imprints of the Swazi King Mswati or a spear.
While some artists prefer to sing in English, the 27-year-old, who is currently building a name for himself in the Afro-pop space, has opted to do it in his native tongue – a decision that he says helps him to connect deeper with his ancestors and people from his culture.
The budding talent, who works in Constantia Kloof and lives in Newlands, has released most of his music, titled Aura, Yimilo Lo and NjeAmapiano in Swati.
“I started doing music in English but when I heard another successful artist, Sjava doing it isiZulu, I thought to myself why can’t I?” he said.
Look out for Fresh Eric on the following social media pages: Eric Mothusi on Facebook and business page Fresh EricZA; Instagram – Fresh Eric79.
Fun facts about the Swazi culture:
According to SA Places, the Swazis are predominantly Nguni in language and culture. They originate from East Central Africa. As part of the Nguni expansion southwards, the Swazi crossed the Limpopo River and settled in southern Tsongaland in the late 15th century. Swaziland has been inhabited since the early Stone Age and there are tracks of subsequent occupation by Bushmen, Sotho and Ntungwanguni clans. Swazi simply means the people of Mswati.
