Mena: I never realized that Swatziland name sounded like Switzerland. An alternative historian speculated that the name Switzerland means land of the sister of Isis. anyway eSwatini sound like an Italian name.
The king of Swaziland, Africa's last absolute monarch, has changed the name of his country to the "Kingdom of eSwatini" to mark the 50th anniversary of independence -- and to avoid confusion with Switzerland.
King Mswati III announced the move during a golden jubilee ceremony celebrating freedom from British colonial rule. He said the country's new name was used by Swaziland before it was colonized. Can Swaziland's economy recover?
Can Swaziland's economy recover? 04:27 Speaking to a large crowd in a stadium in the city of Manzini, 40 km (25 miles) from the capital Mbabane, the king said: "African countries on getting independence reverted to their ancient names before they were colonized. So from now on the country will be officially be known as the Kingdom of eSwatini," the AFP news agency reported. The name "Swaziland", the King said, had caused confusion. "Whenever we go abroad, people refer to us as Switzerland," he added. In recent years, the ruler has referred several times to the "Kingdom of eSwatini", which means "land of the Swazis" in the local language. He used it an address to the UN General Assembly in 2017 and at the state opening of the country's parliament this year. The name change was greeted with mixed emotions, with some saying the country had more pressing issues, such as poverty and health care. Swaziland sex worker: I sleep with five men a day just to eat Swaziland sex worker: I sleep with five men a day just to eat The southern African nation, a Commonwealth member, suffers from severe poverty and has the world's highest HIV/AIDS rate. Most of the king's 1.4 million subjects work as agricultural laborers. "When read a particular way, it does sound a bit like a start up," tweeted Usman Ali, who said he was born in Swaziland. "I'm all for going back to pre-colonial names though. Where it lies on the priority list is the issue." "Swaziland or Eswatini, we're still hungry," tweeted Notsile Nkambule. The king was crowned in 1986 and has often been criticized by human rights groups for his lavish lifestyle and oppressive policies. Unlike some African countries, Swaziland, landlocked between South Africa and Mozambique, did not change its name when it gained independence in 1968. After independence, Rhodesia changed its name to Zimbabwe, Nyasaland to Malawi, and Bechuanaland to Botswana.
lamin Member # 5777
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Like many an African leader that King is a jackass. Not only that, he's a sex maniac with 13 wives and many virgins on the wait list for rape. Africa must develop. Why do the Swazi people tolerate such degenerates.
mena7 Member # 20555
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The name of the modern country of Malawi sound the same to Pharaoh Akhenaton Lower Egyptian city name Malawi or Malevi meaning city of the Levite, meaning the Levite priesthood of Akhenaton.
mena7 Member # 20555
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I learned about the city of Malawi or Malevi of Egypt in Moustapha Gadalla book The Egyptian Origin of Christianity.
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