Dancing to/on a different beat

It was cold and windy this morning. The policewoman on point duty looked like she was doing a little dance. Her arms and legs were moving rhythmically as she stood on the crown of the road. As we got closer, it became obvious that her shimmy was really an attempt to keep warm. Perhaps she…

Dreams

Some mornings, my father would say that he’d done a “second shift”. This meant that he had relived the previous day’s work in his dreams. It’s happening to me now. Perhaps it is because I am sleeping lightly because of the heat, so I wake up during the rapid eye movement phase, when dreaming occurs.…

Kombi Number One

New kombi slogans spotted recently: “Never Mind” “Facebook” “God is in” “It’s a long walk” “Mr Nothing” “Poor man’s friend” The robots take a long time to change at the Nazarene Junction of the main road from Manzini to Mbabane. En route to the clinic one morning, we pulled up to the traffic lights just…

FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifying Match

Last week, the Swaziland National Football Team returned home after drubbing Djibouti 0-6. Unfortunately, the Djibouti team got stuck in Kenya on their way to play the second leg at Somhlolo, Swaziland’s National Stadium. They made it with a day to spare, but it must have disrupted their concentration and preparation. I must admit, I went to the match hoping…

Spreading the Word Part 2

Fast forward a week from the previous post and I am back in Kwaluseni, but this time with forty-one female local leaders and opinion formers. There were only two dozen ladies there when we arrived at the community centre at 10am. We weren’t quorate by 10:30, but we kicked off regardless. After a prayer, we began…

Spreading the Word on Sexual Violence

How do you change hearts and minds? Well, we certainly don’t have anyone “by the balls”, as Chuck Colson (a presidential adviser to LBJ) said, so we will have to rely on persuasive argument. Rates of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) in Swaziland are shocking. Recent studies by UNICEF and the Centers for Disease…

African Pygmy Kingfisher

This post is dedicated to my uncle, Leslie Beresford Cross, who died twelve hours ago from metastatic cancer. Today is going to be a wonderful day. It has been very warm and humid recently, but at six o’clock this morning the sky was powder blue and the temperature was delightful. I wanted to have breakfast on the…

Mitral Stenosis

As a medical student, I found the most powerful way to learn was to relate theory to practice, linking academic “book learning” to direct experience of a patient. Whenever I think about an uncommon disease, I try to recall a patient whom I have encountered who suffered from it. Even now, when considering a possible…

Mantjolo Pool

This sacred pond is guarded by the Mnisi tribe. They believe that it is the place where the spirits of their dead ancestors reside. The Mnisi select their chief in a bizarre manner. After the chief dies, anyone wanting to replace him must immerse himself the pool carrying a flaming torch, which must stay alight.…

Strelizia Gorge

How lovely the gorge looks now that spring has sprung. Wildflowers are beginning to bloom. The dried grass is getting greener following the start of the rains. I love the Fire-Ball Lily and the Grassland Tree Ferns, nestling in the valley where there is a bit more moisture. These photographs don’t really do it justice.…