Swaziland to Eswatini

A mixed name

The Swazi take their name from Mswati II, a king and nation builder who ruled from 1840 to 1868.^[1] Under British protection from the early 1900s, and after independence in 1968, the country was known in English as Swaziland, a blend of Swazi and English; unlike some African states, it did not change its name at independence.^[2][3]

A birthday announcement

On 19 April 2018 King Mswati III, crowned in 1986 at 18, addressed a packed stadium in Manzini during celebrations of 50 years of independence and his own 50th birthday. “I would like to announce that Swaziland will now revert to its original name,” he said.^[2] The name eSwatini means “place of the Swazi”, the same meaning as before, in Swazi alone.^[3]

He had used the name before, in speeches including one to the UN General Assembly, and legislators had considered the change in 2015.^[3][2] He also gave a more practical reason: “Whenever we go abroad, people refer to us as Switzerland.”^[4]

“African countries on getting independence reverted to their ancient names before they were colonised. So from now on the country will be officially be known as the Kingdom of Eswatini.”^[2]

By decree

The king rules by decree in what is widely seen as Africa’s last absolute monarchy, where political parties have been barred from elections since 1973.^[2] Critics said the change would be costly, and human rights groups have long criticised his lavish lifestyle and what they call oppressive policies.^[4] Reference works now list the country as Eswatini, formerly Swaziland.^[1]