Swaziland Digital
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Swaziland Digital
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| 658. Dlamini Khumalo wedding 1960s Photographer: Peter Millin Photo Source: Millin family In the early 1960s there was a wedding between Princess Gcinaphe Dlamini (1935-2003), daughter of King Sobhuza and Majaha Daniel Khumalo, (1919-2005). The princess was a medical doctor, the daughter of one of Sobhuzas seventy wives, Ncineleni Mngomezulu. The wedding was a major social event, but also one where the King tried to introduce westerners to the values of Swazi tradition, inviting colonial officials and any non Swazis who were interested to the event. The following series of photographs that document the progress of the wedding are a detailed social record of the times - and of these because surprisingly little has changed in the intervening forty odd years. The photos were taken by Peter Millin who worked in the Department of Agriculture. Unlike most colonial officials he got off his chair and recorded a highly personal view from within the event. He followed the ceremony from the brides family perspective, the proceedings which took place from a Friday, through Saturday and ended on Sunday. These wedding photos will run in sequence for the next few weeks. When they are finished hey will be followed by a series of old photographs of Swaziland that have never been published before. Three old photos will be published every week until the end of 2007. This photo is of the women in Princess Gcinaphes family washing in the hot springs near the river in Lobamba, they have chosen a spot that is not far from the Khumalo homestead. The site is near the current bridge on the road between Lobamba and Lozitha palace. Traditionally weddings are divided into the two families who make their own preparations and then meet in a ritual format. |
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Joseph Raucher: Photographer |