Ascent of Women by Sally Armstrong

Author:Sally Armstrong [Armstrong, Sally]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-307-36261-2
Publisher: Random House of Canada
Published: 2014-03-17T16:00:00+00:00

I drove with Doo Aphane from Manzini to the rally that Hlophe had planned in the far-flung district of Mahlangtja on a hot mid-December day that revealed the stunning extremes of the Swaziland terrain. The valleys that rolled out of granite-topped mountains in a kaleidoscope of muted colors made the countryside look as if it had been art directed. Puffs of mist appeared and disappeared as if by magic, revealing and concealing forests of zebras, rivers of hippos, cheeky vervet monkeys, blue-headed iguanas and geckos. Guinea fowl pecked at grain in the morning dew and hid their chicks from the crowned eagles soaring overhead. Hibiscus in flower and the massive albizia shade trees were stunning; the nonindigenous gum and jacaranda trees also looked wonderful but suck up sixty gallons of water a day apiece in this water-challenged country. Near the capital city of Mbabane is Sibebe Rock, the second biggest freestanding rock in the world (after Ayers Rock in Australia). There’s much that is remarkable about the Kingdom of Swaziland, the smallest country in Africa with the biggest problems.

Gossip about the king, although regarded as treasonous, was rife at the Mahlangtja rally to mark World AIDS Day. There were rumors that he was having sex with women other than his own wives and that his wives were having sex with their bodyguards. His first wife, Inkhosikati LaMbikiza, said polygamy, which the king sees as a royal birthright, should end because of HIV/AIDS. But the spotlight at the rally was on Hlophe, who could gather people in the thousands, attract the media, get the attention of the government, and press her demands for change. While her mantra was women’s rights, SWAPOL’s program was about income generation (sewing, gardening, crop production) and drug treatment for HIV/AIDS. At the time, her organization was supporting fifteen child-headed households and paying the school fees of 500 orphans (by 2012, the numbers had increased to thirty-five households and 577 orphans). She received funding from several sources, but the largest portion came from the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which was providing $100,000 annually.

Amid music, song, and conga lines, the irrepressible Hlophe negotiated the jagged line of dignitaries and politicians with her belly laughter and her wide-open embracing arms. Watching her in action as she moved into the crowd—all HIV positive and wearing white T-shirts with “Stop AIDS—Keep the Promise” written on the back—it was easy to see how her enthusiasm caught the imagination of everyone there.

As she delivered her speech about the importance of making change on that hot windy afternoon, the crowd fell silent when she described a better tomorrow. Hlophe was treading a fine line—the minister of public service, S’gayoya Magongo, was actually in the audience—when she told them, “Even the minister agrees with me—it’s in the constitution—women should have the right to choose.” The minister had no choice but to nod, knowing Hlophe had co-opted him for her battle. She ended her oration by reminding the HIV/AIDS victims in the audience of the responsibility born by the members of government, who were all sitting behind her.

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