BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Kwakha Indvodza (KI) has chosen to take advantage of the Incwala Ceremony and use it as a platform to engage Lacwebetelako and Ingaja to discuss on how best they could address gender-based violence (GBV).
According to KI Executive Director Sonic Dlamini, it was very important for members of the public, especially male Emaswati, to advocate for peaceful environment in their homes and other places. This was more especially because it showed respect for cultural events such as Incwala, which encouraged the spirit of unity, peace, and respect for one another.
Speaking to Eswatini TV, Dlamini said during the event, they were able to learn many things from men on how the SiSwati culture was done in a peaceful manner, which did not include the GBV, which was now becoming a problem in society. The director further pleaded with men and women not to resort to violence each time there was a misunderstanding between them.
He encouraged people to always speak to one another, with an intention to solve their differences. He said whenever the differences persisted, leading to anger, it was best to seek help from third parties, such as the police. He further advised that there were counselors and clinical psychologists, who were always ready to help where there was a need.
Dlamini said being influenced by anger was dangerous because it caused people to hurt other people and that was breaking the law. He said such an act would put somebody else’s life in danger and cause the aggressor to face the wrath of the law.
The director said violent situations painted a bad picture about the country, which, for many years, had been known as a peaceful country. Dlamini said events such as Incwala could be used to encourage Emaswati to restore peace at home because the situation was becoming worse, as families were disintegrating due to violence. He mentioned that women were being abused and killed by their lovers and other men were abused by their wives, up to the point of literally being dragged in a degrading manner.
