Swaziland Oral History Project
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| Abbreviation | SOHP |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1985 |
| Type | Archival oral-history research project |
| Headquarters | Eswatini National Archives in Lobamba, Eswatini, University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa |
Region served | Swaziland ( now Eswatini) |
Official language | |
Lead Researcher | Philip Bonner, Carolyn Hamilton (historian)[1] |
The Swaziland Oral History Project (SOHP) is a research and archival initiative established in 1985 at the National Archives in Lobamba, Eswatini.[2][AI-retrieved source] It was established to collect, preserve, transcribe and translate oral histories, clan genealogies and testimonies of Swazi elders, with particular attention to the precolonial history of the Swazi kingdom.[1] It was developed through cooperation between Swazi archivists and elders and professional historians, notably Carolyn Hamilton and Philip Bonner. [3]
The SOHP materials were also transferred to the Historical Papers Research Archive at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa where Bonner was head.[4][5] Swazi archivists and researchers, including Isaac Dlamini and Dumisa Dlamini, played a central role in the fieldwork and collection of testimonies and the establishment of the SOHP. [6]
Background
[edit]The history of Swaziland stretches back thousands of years, but it was only in the mid-1800s, with the arrival of Europeans, that events began to be recorded in writing.[2]
Little is known about the earlier periods because written evidence is scarce, however, historians have uncovered a wealth of information about these earlier times by drawing on other forms of evidence, particularly oral traditions and physical artifacts.[7] The SOHP was established to systematically collect, transcribe, translate and archive oral testimonies from elders.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Swaziland Oral History Project and associated items". EMANDULO. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- 1 2 3 Hamilton CA. The Swaziland Oral History Project. History in Africa. 1987;14:383-387. doi:10.2307/3171851
- ↑ Hamilton, C.A. (1987)
- ↑ Bonner, Philip (1994). New Nation, New History: The History Workshop in South Africa, 1977–1994, The Journal of American History 81 (3): 977–985.
- ↑ "Fonds A2760: Swaziland Oral History Project". Historical Papers Research Archive. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ↑ Hamilton, C.A. (1987).
- ↑ Westcott, Michael (1992); Carolyn A. Hamilton (editor). In the Tracks of the Swazi Past: A Historical Tour of the Ngwane and Ndwandwe Kingdoms (PDF), Macmillan Boleswa Publishers