ESWATNI 10TH MOST CONSERVATIVE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA

MBABANE- Eswatini has made another top ranking in globally renowned statistics.

The country has been publicly hailed for being the 10^th most conservative country in the world. This is according to an article Best Stoppers, an internationally recognised publication which sourced the information from research and study.

Conservatism is a social and political philosophy promoting traditional and social institutions. The central principles of conservatism may vary concerning the traditional values or practices of the culture and civilisation in which it appears.

Eswatini is becoming a home for historical discoveries and studies. About a week ago, this publication published that mountain ranges in Eswatini have been recorded to be the oldest in the world- with evidence of proof of life old as 3.5 billion years. Also, we published that the oldest mathematical bone in the world, the Lebombo Bone, was ‘housed’ by the Eswatini.

According to Best Stoppers, Eswatini is the 10^th most conservative country, followed by Lebanon at position nine and Chad at position eight.

The seventh most conservative country is Mali, followed by Yemen at position six and Saudi Arabia at position five.

Iran sits at position four, Egypt at position three and Ethiopia in position two.

The most conservative country in the world is Pakistan at position one.

When sought for comment, Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stanley Dlamini said the rankings may be true as Eswatini did everything it could to setup institutions to preserve arts and culture.

“Institutions like the Royal Family, which have existed for the longest time, preserve the country’s culture.

“We also have the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs- which constantly work on preserving the country’s cultural system- there are few countries with a ministry of culture,” said Dlamini.

He further said the fact that Eswatini were signatories in different initiatives like UNESCO, climate change bodies put the country on the map as conservatives.