Ngoma, a southern African ritual of healing, dance, rhythm and rhyme, is at the heart of social effort to change the fortunes of individuals and communities so that well-being is restored. This... Show moreNgoma, a southern African ritual of healing, dance, rhythm and rhyme, is at the heart of social effort to change the fortunes of individuals and communities so that well-being is restored. This collective volume investigates ngoma in its many and culturally diverse manifestations. Contributions: Rijk van Dijk, Ria Reis and Marja Spierenburg (introduction); Henny Blokland (the use of drums in weddings in Unyamwezi, Tanzania, as the key to their use in healing cults and politics); Annette Drews (gender and ngoma among the Kunda of eastern Zambia); Ria Reis (therapeutic ngoma in Swaziland); Marja Spierenburg (the influence of healers' clientele in the Mhondoro territorial cult in Dande, Zimbabwe); Matthew Schoffeleers (rain cults as therapeutic ngoma in the Mbona cult of rural Malawi); Cor Jonker (the politics of therapeutic ngoma as exemplified in the Zionist churches in urban Zambia); Rijk van Dijk (ngoma and born-again fundamentalism in urban Malawi). In the afterword, John M. Janzen takes up critically the challenges to his own work (1992) presented by the contributions in this volume. Show less
Confronted with high unemployment figures and widespread poverty among the black population, one of the priorities of the first postapartheid government of South Africa has been to combat poverty... Show moreConfronted with high unemployment figures and widespread poverty among the black population, one of the priorities of the first postapartheid government of South Africa has been to combat poverty among its population by enlarging employment opportunities. It is generally accepted that this policy will have a large impact on the number of foreigners called to work in South Africa. By taking Swaziland, where data were collected in 1990, as a case study, this article investigates the impact on the capacity of Swazi rural households to survive, if the possibility for international labour migration should become constrained. The paper first investigates whether common socioeconomic characteristics can be identified among homesteads whose survival is threatened. Next, it investigates the possibilities and constraints for returning migrants to find employment in Swaziland. In the final section, conclusions are presented on the prospects of Swazi rural households to survive without migrant labour to South Africa. The main finding is that in the short run relatively 'young' households, with few working members and a weak economic position in the local rural economy, are among the most vulnerable. In the long run the survival of most Swazi households with migrants in South Africa is at stake. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum Show less
As labour migration to South Africa is a pronounced feature of Swazi society, its impact on Swazi society is substantial. This paper examines what labour migration means to the social security... Show moreAs labour migration to South Africa is a pronounced feature of Swazi society, its impact on Swazi society is substantial. This paper examines what labour migration means to the social security role of the Swazi rural homestead. By discussing the relationship between labour migration and the conditions which determine whether or not a social group can act as a solidarity group (viz. the size of a social group, its composition, its durability, its capacity to raise means, and the existence of a 'normative insurance'), the author estimates the impact of labour migration on the rural homestead in its capacity as a solidarity group. For this purpose he compares a group of homesteads with migrants in South Africa and a group of homesteads without. Data are derived from a 1990 survey among 115 rural homesteads situated on Swazi Nation Land. The author shows that the impact of labour migration differs according to the type of homestead. As a solidarity group, homesteads in the establishment and expansion stage are far more affected by labour migration than homesteads in other stages of the developmental cycle (viz. consolidation, fission, decline). Show less
This study, which is based on field research carried out in Swaziland from October 1989 to December 1990, starts with an introductory chapter followed by three theoretical chapters on social... Show moreThis study, which is based on field research carried out in Swaziland from October 1989 to December 1990, starts with an introductory chapter followed by three theoretical chapters on social security in developing countries. The content of these chapters is illustrated with an extensive case study of Swaziland. Ch. 5 gives a brief profile of the Kingdom of Swaziland. Ch. 6 analyses the Swazi rural homestead, which is considered as one of the most important social security mechanisms in the country. In ch. 7 and 8 other important 'informal' social security mechanisms in the rural areas of Swaziland are discussed, such as kinship relations, neighbourliness, associations, and chiefdom. In ch. 9 the actual operation of these social security mechanisms is further illustrated by analysing their role for the Swazi individual, in particular in the event of three major contingencies: old age, illness and death. The final chapter summarizes the findings of the study. Show less
This paper examines how the labour migration of Swazi homestead members to South Africa affects the homestead as a solidarity group. After an introduction in which he discusses the conditions... Show moreThis paper examines how the labour migration of Swazi homestead members to South Africa affects the homestead as a solidarity group. After an introduction in which he discusses the conditions which make a group a solidarity group and their applicability to the Swazi homestead, the author analyses the impact of migrant labour on the size and composition of the Swazi homestead, its durability and stability, its economic position, and on the principle of reciprocity, particularly with respect to the distribution of remittances. The study is based on data derived from a survey carried out in 1990 among 195 homesteads in Swaziland. On balance, the impact of labour migration on the Swazi homestead as a solidarity group seems to be negative. Show less
This paper gives an outline for a research project to study the historical and actual functioning of the so-called traditional social security system in Swaziland and its relationship with... Show moreThis paper gives an outline for a research project to study the historical and actual functioning of the so-called traditional social security system in Swaziland and its relationship with processes of socioeconomic differentiation and nuclearization. The traditional social security system is defined here as the set of traditional institutions that is based on a principle of economic solidarity. This system provides, by the transfer of factors of production, goods and money, a subsistence base to those who could otherwise not reach subsistence level because of old age, invalidity, sickness, death, unemployment, maternity, lack of factors of production, employment injury and pregnancy. In this way it ensures the survival of the homestead. This set of institutions functions between economic units (households) within a homestead or between households of different homesteads. In most cases the institutions are based on kin relationships, although some are based on alliance, on friendship or on systems of mutual help. The first chapter deals with processes of change and traditional structures in sub-Saharan Africa: a Marxist interpretation. In chapter 2 the case of Swaziland is described. Show less
An introduction is followed by 13 papers, most of them contributions to the seminar, illustrating the variety in research programmes on Swaziland being in operation at present. Attention is paid... Show moreAn introduction is followed by 13 papers, most of them contributions to the seminar, illustrating the variety in research programmes on Swaziland being in operation at present. Attention is paid to the national economy (H. COPPENS, M.POMMEE, A. VREMAN), the quest for Swazi labour (A. BOOTH), the present political crisis (J. DANIEL and J. VILANE), smallholder irrigation schemes (F. de VLETTER), contractfarming and outgrower schemes (M. NEOCOSMOS and J. TESTERINK), spending behaviour of migrant workers (J. BARENDREGT and M.A. BROUWER), small-scale irrigation (D.C. FUNNEL), the urban informal sector (M.S. MATSEBULA), the marginalization of women traders (H. SANDEE and H. WEIJLAND), women's informal savings and credit associations (S. KAPPERS), the position of women in Swazi traditional society (R. ASTUTI), soil conservation (C. REIJ), and the future of the peasant economy (M. RUSSELL). Show less
