BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– The responsibility of cooking should not land on the shoulders of the woman while she is busy equally working to empower herself and financially support the family.
These were sentiments shared by Her Majesty Queen Mother Ntfombi Tfwala during the 2023 Buganu Festival’s first phase held at Buhleni Royal Residence over the weekend.
The Queen Mother told Lutsango that their place was no longer in the kitchen as it was back in the day but every woman should realise the power they have and use it to their advantage.
“Anisasibo belikhishi nemabhodo,” said the Queen Mother, this can be loosely translated to ‘You do not belong in the kitchen’.
“In Eswatini, those days where children and women joyfully and enthusiastically sat around bonfires to hear folktales as foretold by their working fathers and grandfathers have gradually faded in most parts of the country,” said Her Majesty.
In Hindsight, Her Majesty Indlovukazi encouraged women to take up space and fill up any position they feel like they have the capacity to fill up.
Worth noting, His Majesty King Mswati III also observed capabilities in Lutsango ahead of the upcoming national elections.
The King, therefore, urged women across the country to support each other to ensure that they were elected to contribute ideas in building and fixing the country.
The Monarch said the fact that women were capable of composing and singing cultural songs meant that they could contribute a lot in building the country.
“As a country, there is a need to ascertain why women were not elected into Parliament. Women are capable of contributing towards building the country,” the King said.
Worth mentioning is that the election of women at Tinkhundla level had never reached 30 per cent despite the provision of the Constitution. This has resulted in the King appointing women to reach the percentage. Some women MPs had been elected regionally to reach the percentage. The King also suggested the recording of songs for every year’s event.
Pics sourced from Ministry of Home Affairs
