Decolonization of Indigenous/Traditional Vegetables of the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Southern African Development Community

Abstract

Indigenous/traditional vegetables have been used since prehistoric times in the Kingdom of Eswatini. They are well appreciated for their nutritional cultural and medicinal value. However, despite their immense importance the advent of colonisation by the Europeans saw the traditional vegetables being declared weeds and thus undesirable. The situation went from bad to worse with modernization and urbanization. There are no statistics about their economic importance. This study aimed to decolonize, document and deliberate on the importance of traditional vegetables in the Kingdom of Eswatini. The study was a qualitative one. Information was sought, through informal surveys, group discussions and a review of existing literature.