Without the King

Michael Skolnik has made a solid (and understated) documentary about the king of Swaziland and his ultra-opulent lifestyle -- a fleet of limousines, a luxury personal jet, his own private army, about $9 billion in offshore accounts, and a sumptuous personal palace for himself and his 13 wives (he was apparently building separate palaces for 11 of his wives while this film was being made).

The king also has a teen-age daughter who speaks with an American accent, attends college in California, and (remarkably) says about Swaziland's culture: 'without the king, there is no culture.' This gives the film its title, but it's also an ominous play on words for the probable fate of her father. The comment pompously suggests that the people of Swaziland had little, if anything, to do with the development of their own culture. It is reminiscent of Louis XIV's alleged remark 'L'etat, c'est moi' ('I am the state').

King Mswati III rules with supreme authority, although Swaziland nominally has a prime minister, cabinet and a legislative body -- all appointed by the king himself and all quartered behind closely guarded walls.

In the midst of all the king's luxury, the great majority of Swazis live in misery and near-starvation. The country (pop. 1.8 million) has the world's highest HIV/AIDS rate (about 46 per cent) and the lowest life-expectancy (about 31 years). People must depend on the World Food Programme for survival.

Revolutions foment inevitably in these conditions ('Freedom in Our Lifetime' is prominently stencilled on the back of one of the rebel leader's t-shirts). The viewer is not surprised to hear these sentiments repeated many times, a stark contrast to the king and his many courtiers, who are so detached from their country's realities that they're not sure what all the fuss is about.

The king pays lip service to the terrible conditions in his country, but he has had 20 years in which to do something about it. He hasn't, and he doesn't, and he will surely go the way of other supreme rulers who did not heed that famous writing on the wall. This film was made only a year ago (in early 2007), so watch for future reports from Swaziland.

The trailer for the film looks intense. It's hard to believe that there is a country with a life expectancy of 31 yrs. of age. The Aids crisis is ridiculous.I'm interested in finding out what the Kings response is to his kingdom's issues. The princess appears like she really wants to help her country. I can't imagine the dilemma she must face between choosing her father or the people of her country. The crazy thing about the situation is that it's real life. I think this film will get people talking about what is going on in Swaziland. The independent film community in NYC is buzzing about the film. The director seems to be young and focused. I can't wait to see it this weekend.

A nice little 3-part tale shows us the king of Swaziland, the last absolute monarch in the world: his wives, palatial accommodations, fleet of luxury cars, etc. The filmmaker obviously enjoyed extraordinary access to the king and the royal family, and the king has a great deal to say about his role and his responsibilities. Unfortunately, all that talk seems wildly at odds with reality. Swaziland has the world's lowest life expectancy. The prevalence rate of AIDS in the population is almost 43%. The people earn roughly $.63 per day and subsist on donated food and offal. There is talk of revolution from many people who must now be at risk for espousing treason on camera. There is also the princess, sold to us as a rather spoiled brat who equates her father with the nation's culture, and cannot imagine the willful denial of either. She begins to see things through another point of view, but how far will that go?

I enjoyed this documentary very much, as I knew very little about Swaziland and it opened my eyes to a country that has many problems--not the least of which is the highest AIDS infection rate in the world. While this is only a small portion of the film, this certainly does not bode well for the future of this tiny nation. Whether or not they have a king or democratic government or anarchy, this problem certainly isn't going away soon.

The major thrust of the film, however, was on the political situation. Swaziland is the last kingdom in Africa and the king is THE government. He elects all of the government leaders in control of everyday decisions and he has the right to veto anything his hand picked men do. Additionally, according to the new constitution, he is exempt from the nation's laws. This is rather insane and anachronistic in the 21st century and I agree with the film makers that this isn't good. However, what is only alluded to briefly is that Africa has a history over the last 65 years of violent revolutions and chaos--making this once-fertile continent a more wretched place than it needs to be. So, as the film makers seem to say that major changes are needed, what needs to be done and how to do this without complete civil war and death? Fortunately, I saw some glimmer of hope here and there--but you really had to look for it in the film.

Whether or not these problems will be solved and how withstanding, the film definitely makes you think and you can't help but be affected by WITHOUT THE KING. It was a great conclusion to the film seeing the king's oldest daughter (who has always been pampered and sheltered) coming face to face with an impoverished AIDS orphanage. Perhaps there is some hope.

We thank you about the excellent work done on this documentary. I am not surprised at some comments that this piece of excellent work is biased. All those that have benefited from this regime shall cry foul, because you can not spit on your sit. There is serious brutality and a highest level of intimidation. It should be noted, that in Swaziland- which could have been covered is that decisions of the courts cannot be adhered to. As i write, the commissioner of police is in contempt of court and cannot be booked. The judges of the court of appeal had resigned enmasse due to non implementation of courts judgements for persons who are friends and cronies to the regime. Corruption and theft is the order of the day. Millionares have mushroomed in a day and no one cares, so long as you are below the royal umbrella. People have been displaced by forced removal from land of birth and some self exiled with fear of state brutality. I say this masterpiece just gave a clue of the real Swaziland. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK, MAY THE ALMIGHTY BLESS YOU ALL.