The King and His People

 

Documentary on little known Swaziland, a country in southern Africa, now known as eSwatini. 

This country is an absolute monarchy ruled with a tight fist by the king. Everything is controlled by the king - the Parliament, the legislature, media, telecom, the taxes. The country is poor and its people are dying of Aids and other diseases, life expectancy is only 31 yet the king is supposedly among the richest monarchs in the world. 

Teacher activists, student protesters, lawyers who protested are all routinely killed or beaten up. There is no human rights, no land rights, no rights whatsover to anybody in the country. The king has multiple wives and polygamy is routinely practiced in the country. 

Economically the country is in bad shape, with most of the people surviving on subsistence farming. There is high inequality and unemployment amongst the youth and schools and educational institutions are in bad shape. All in all, the country has gone to the bottom. Until and unless the monarchy is removed and real democratic reforms take place, there is no hope for Swazi people. 

The documentary is good, follows a narrative plus interviews with people and there are activists who are ready to speak out. You can watch this documentary here