Let’s Ponder On This

ON July 22, 2022, I flew out of the country to Washington DC and Seattle in the United States of America(USA) for a carefully, scholastically and professionally designed thorough training on the dictates of dialogue. It was an eye-opener.

Organised specifically to benefit Eswatini, President Joe Biden’s administration spent lots of Dollars on the IVLP, solely to help a small landlocked country in political crisis. What a kind gesture! I wish representatives from the King’s Office and government were part of the delegation chosen from various stakeholders to learn about, among other things, national dialogues in peace building and transitions. With the IVLP tied on conflict resolution, peace building and political dialogue, we are never the same in terms of knowledge. We are not experts but we are clued up. IVLP stands for International Visitor Leadership Programme.

It is an exchange programme under the US State Department, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

It was arranged by the Meridian International Centre. Fairly balanced, adequately structured and well prepared, we grasped excellent stuff contextually designed for emaSwati. We were exposed to relevant case studies and also provided with sufficient literature.

Professors of universities and professionals drawn from various disciplines were assembled to equip us with what is essential for the Kingdom of Eswatini. We can’t implement a successful dialogue when we can’t define it and contextualise it. It was, therefore, important to learn about it. It’s a pity that those who would have shared knowledge with government and leaders of the country, particularly His Majesty the King, were withdrawn from the programme. Princess Tsandzile, Lungile Magagula and Senator Mkhululi Dlamini were to play a very critical role during the programme. Otherwise, Member of Parliament (MP) Marwick Khumalo, IDEAL Chairperson Barnes Dlamini, Council of Swaziland Churches Rev. Zwanini Shabalala, Mary Pais da Silva and Zwelethu Nicholas Dlamini, the Secretary General of the Swaziland Media Workers Union honoured the IVLP. MP Khumalo can share experiences with lawmakers and his constituency,