Colonisation in the 21st century

                                                                      

We have always (Eswatini) deemed ourselves as a country that is independent and every year on the 6^th of September we as a nation celebrate the independence. As always we link this to the day in which the country was set free from colonial rule, and as a nation we adopted / had the constitution of Eswatini come into effect years back on this day (I will choose to ignore the nitty gritty's  of the repeal etc) . I pose this question; are we really independent?

Independence is a concept of being liberated from a certain type of leadership; a leadership that is foreign, does not really have its mandate set on promoting every individuals livelihoods and rights in a communal setting etc. As opined by Kosovo in 2015, independence is the state of self-governance by a body or group nation, country etc. The idea or theme surrounding independence is that of bringing about an essence of equality and promotion of ideal values which benefit everyone and everyone believes in.

Eswatini

As a nation we continue to say we are independent because we have a ruler who is ‘our’ kind a ‘Swati’ and that we as Swati’s are managing our nation (well I believe so). None the less, each country has a constitution which is meant to depict the beliefs of the society and this document is essentially written to protect the people and it is for the people. Our constitution I must say still has an element of foreign rule as it has laws inherited from colonisation. The reason I say this is because some laws are of colonisation origin and yet we somehow continue to uphold them. We have indoctrinated them and embedded them in our society and in such a way, gone astray from our values as a society of ethnic origin. The common law, under the sodomy act criminalises consensual same-sex relations between two consenting males. This piece of legislation was adopted from the Dutch common Law. It is not of ethnic origin and therefore brings about the question; are we really liberated or independent?

Ethnic values

The mere notion that we are Swati means that we value our culture and we ‘hope’ that it will protect everyone. We are a country that upholds love, peace and respect for each-other. We hold ourselves true to this, we acknowledge ‘ubuntu’ as a principle. LGBTIQA+ identities have always existed in our country, mind you in the context of transgender identifying individuals, we have always been revered. We have been called two-spirited individuals, mediums etc among other things (at some point in time). The connotation that we have never existed is entirely absurd. It is comes as a shock then when our government officials dismiss our existence in society and claim that our existence is not valid.

Colonised

To me it sounds like we are still colonised, but in a modern way. We are now colonising each-other. Mind you, colonising is defined as a process or action of settling among or establishing control over indigenous people. To me it is simply like we took the gun from the oppressors and then we are literally oppressing our own kind. The law is simply segregating its people, causing a division over sexual orientation and yet as a nation we should be united.

Change

The dawn of change is upon us and as such we should embrace it. Let equality for all, simply encompass all regardless of the social stratification that exists; gender, race, sexual orientation etc. We need to seriously ponder on this, do we want to colonise each-other or essentially liberate everyone?

A victim of shame

I have always been the one to advocate for people standing up-for their rights and i shall continue to do so. The other day I had a dear friend narrate a story of a recent ordeal whereby their right to privacy was violated. Privacy of-course is the state of being apart from other people or concealed from their views.

It is sad to know that these days we can no longer trust the people we confide in. It turns out that my friend went to this particular professional seeking medical psycho social assistance, and only to find that the trust he had for this professional to maintain professionalism would soon be betrayed. The whole concept of having to share your information and thoughts with someone is always daunting; but one feels better and lighter when knowing that the piece of information shared is to be kept safe. It is not shared willy-nilly.

In my friends instance, it so happened that the information shared ended up causing family issues; in-fact causing the family to believe that he is ‘cured’ from being gay and is now ready to commit to a woman. As I type this, the family is getting ready for a wedding and my friend is still in shock. He cannot even bring himself to tell the parents that he is not in-fact in a relationship with a woman. The snowball effect of a single story, told in secret to a practitioner has led to an individual practically having his life distorted.

Confidentiality clause

It remains true that confidentiality is a fundamental aspect of health work; especially when the work deals with individuals’ issues and emotions. The thought process that went into deciphering the confidentiality clause must have been immense and it was on a basis of curbing psychological violence. The aim of the clause in each practitioner’s contract I believe is meant to protect both parties. The patient is meant to sleep peacefully knowing that their information is well protected and safe. Cohesively, it keeps the practitioner (him or her or they) in-check over the work that they do. It is more or less a guide for one to stay steadfast and continuously inspired by the work that they do.

Violating the clause and ethics

By violating the clause (information divulsion), one is definite to put another on the spotlight and in the way of harm. In-fact, one is definite to feel violated and loses trust and confidence in the practitioner. Not only do they fear ever going back to that particular practitioner, but they fear going back to another or referring another person. This therefore causes a gap in the system.

Respecting the work

In all essence, every single person is meant to respect the work that they do. This is particularly true if that work includes working directly with people. The standards, principles and values of each institution are meant to bring every individual to this accord. Respecting ‘the’ work entirely means that one essentially values the people that are ‘the work’.