The music of
Eswatini
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
is composed of both
ethnic Swazi music and varieties of
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
as well as modern genres such as rock, pop and
hip hop, which has been popular in Eswatini since headed by bands such as Vamoose. The popularity of hip hop in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, which shares a border with Eswatini, has also helped popularize it.
Two major festivals in the country are
Incwala
Incwala () is the main ritual of kingship in the Eswatini, Kingdom of Eswatini. This is a national event that takes place during the summer solstice. The main participant in incwala is the King of Eswatini; when there is no king there is no incw ...
and
Umhlanga.
[Maps of World – Swaziland](_blank)
Retrieved 2013-10-25. The former takes place in December while the latter takes place in August. Umhlanga is known for its dance, performed exclusively by women, and its 5-day ceremony, which involves reed-cutting.
Traditional instruments used include: the
kudu
The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus ''Tragelaphus'':
* Lesser kudu, ''Tragelaphus imberbis'', of eastern Africa
* Greater kudu, ''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'', of eastern and southern Africa
The two species look similar, thou ...
horn,
calabash
Calabash (; ''Lagenaria siceraria''), also known as bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, long melon, birdhouse gourd, New Guinea bean, Tasmania bean, and opo squash, is a vine grown for its fruit. It can be either harvested young to be consumed ...
,
rattles,
makeyana and
reed flute.
See also
*
Ethnic Swazi music
*
Mine bengidzakiwe
*
Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso temaSwati
"" is the national anthem of Eswatini. It is a compromise between Swazi and Western styles of music and was adopted after independence in 1968. The lyrics were authored by Andrease Enoke Fanyana Kukies Simelane, and the composer of the tune was ...
, the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
of Eswatini
References
{{Swaziland-stub