By Bahle Gama
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Pholile Shakantu says the country’s embassies in the different countries globally have several roles to play on behalf of emaSwati and the country.
One major role is promoting culture and tourism. Minister Shakantu said this must be done by celebrating events that are taking place in the country in the respective embassies and countries.
For example, if the country is celebrating the King’s birthday or Independence Day, they too must do that in their respective embassies and invite the different stakeholders in those countries to learn more about the Swati culture and its activities.
This she said has been done by other embassies in the country who invite the Eswatini government to be part of their celebrations that are taking place in their home countries and in the process, market their culture and activities.
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“We wish for our embassies to do the same for the country. For example, they can have a large screen displaying that particular event happening in the country, which will, in turn, encourage the people in that country to take interest and eventually visit in person due to the marketing.”
“What is required is that our embassies promote our culture and tourism in different countries and further engage with different stakeholders and market the country,” Shakantu said.
The Minister further noted that several festivals like the Bushfire and Luju have received global recognition, which the embassies have the responsibility of promoting in the respective countries they are in.
That way, people in that country will be updated about the country’s activity calendar and be encouraged to come get the experience themselves in Eswatini.
“We wish that with our budget, from the communication, we will enable these people to market the country and increase the country’s tourism. We have seen this through the Buganu ceremony, the countries where it continues to be promoted came in their numbers. We remember that it started with the Umhlanga ceremony and the coordination helps maintain that throughout all the events,” she said.
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She further stated that when tourists come to Eswatini, they spend money in different sectors which is beneficial to the economy.
Shakantu further stated that embassies also play a role in attracting business partners for Eswatini as FDIs should get to know about the country and potential investments through them.
‘Can we have a holiday for Buganu Festival’
With national events like the Umhlanga and Incwala ceremonies amongst others having holidays, there has been a request for one to be allocated for the Buganu Festival as well.
MPs made this request during the tabling of the budget for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Affairs before the portfolio committee on Monday.
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One of these was Madlangemphisi MP Alen Vilane who said that based on the growth of the event regionally and attracting tourists from different parts of Africa, courtesy of the Ministry, there should be a consideration to extend the days and allocate a holiday.
“The country has been advertised a lot regarding such events and almost the entire Southern African region. Is it possible that just like the other events, can it be prolonged to more than just the weekend, or at the very least we have a holiday?” he questioned leaving the house in stitches.
Vilane made these remarks when questioning the depth of the relationship between the Ministry and that of Tourism and Housing concerning national events.
He further stated that it had been observed that this event finishes late, and some people end up missing buses and others arriving late at work, therefore, the holiday would enable people to depart and arrive home in time and have time to prepare for work afterwards.
In terms of the partnership with the two ministries (Housing and Tourism), the MP suggested that there be ways to provide accommodation closer to where the event is held to ensure safety for tourists and retain the country’s reputation in the process.
“For example, there is Umkhandlo later at night and not everyone goes in there which results in some of them loitering and not knowing what to do or where to go.
This in turn results in them being robbed and exposed to other dangerous incidents,” he submitted.
