African Studies
Utafiti: Journal of African Perspectives
Call for Papers: Utafiti is inviting you to submit your manuscript – any topic in the humanities - for consideration in the next issues.
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The Kingdom of Eswatini was a lower middle income country. An estimated 20% of the population controlled 80% of the country’s wealth. The hiv prevalence rate remained one of the highest in the world, with more than a quarter of the adult population infected. King Mswati ruled the country by royal decree. To mark his fiftieth birthday, he changed the name of the Kingdom of Swaziland to Eswatini. The country celebrated 50 years of independence. National elections were accompanied by some instances of violence. The lgbti community held for the first time a street parade to promote their rights. Mismanagement of funds in the health sector left hospitals in a poor state, resulting in the neglect of patients.
The Kingdom of Eswatini was a lower middle income country. An estimated 20% of the population controlled 80% of the country’s wealth. The hiv prevalence rate remained one of the highest in the world, with more than a quarter of the adult population infected. King Mswati ruled the country by royal decree. To mark his fiftieth birthday, he changed the name of the Kingdom of Swaziland to Eswatini. The country celebrated 50 years of independence. National elections were accompanied by some instances of violence. The lgbti community held for the first time a street parade to promote their rights. Mismanagement of funds in the health sector left hospitals in a poor state, resulting in the neglect of patients.
The Kingdom of Eswatini faced numerous challenges including poverty, chronic food insecurity, and hiv/aids. With a population of 1.1 m people, 52% of whom are under the age of 20, Eswatini ranks 139th out of 189 in the 2019 Human Development Index. Despite its status as a lower-middle-income country, 63% of the population live below the national poverty line. Rampant corruption, mismanagement of funds, and challenges in the health sector continued to take place in the country.
The Kingdom of Eswatini is a landlocked country with an approximate population of 1.16 m people. In 2020, the country faced severe challenges that included but were not limited to poverty, chronic food insecurity, financial mismanagement, and severe drought. Eswatini has the highest hiv prevalence in the world and was ranked 139th out of 189 in the 2019 Human Development Index. While ranked a lower middle-income country, 63% of the population live below the national poverty line. The consequences of the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated challenges for the health sector as well as worsening the livelihoods of the majority of the citizens in the country.
The Kingdom of Eswatini was gripped with political volatility when pro-democracy protests turned violent, with severe clashes between protesters and state authorities. The year also saw a humanitarian crisis as many people faced severe food shortages, further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Almost half of the population lived in poverty, on less than $1.90 a day.
Eswatini’s political unrest, which began in July 2021, intensified as pro-democracy activists called for political transformation in the country. Cases of excessive force by the state, together with arrests of activists, dominated the political landscape. The unrest led to the damage to infrastructure that impacted negatively on the economic sectors of the country. Eswatini remained a lower-middle-income country, in which 69% of the rural population lived below the national poverty line. Eswatini has a very high rate of hiv prevalence, affecting 26% of the population between the ages of 15 and 49. However, statistics released in 2022 indicated significant progress in the reduction of new hiv infections in the last decade.
Eswatini, classified as a lower-middle-income country with an approximate population of 1.2 m people, continued to experience political and socioeconomic challenges in the year under review, with 70% of the population living below the poverty line. The 2023 national elections and the National Dialogue Process dominated the political landscape. A failed health system remained a concern, as did food and water insecurities.