Swaziland is one of those countries, like Bhutan or Camelot, that most of us can't place on a map and that we're not even sure are real countries.
It is a real country, and lies nestled between the bosoms of South Africa and Mozambique. It's one of the world's half-dozen remaining absolute monarchies, and is currently ruled by King Mswati III.
Swaziland is spectacular, if the photographs captured by those few visitors who've managed to find the place are any guide. Pictures in the reassuring National Geographic style: smiling dusky faces, intricate handicrafts in bustling street markets, colourful traditional costumes, and exotic ceremonies featuring massed semi-naked dancers lit by flickering firelight.
We wondered if Swaziland could really be so idyllic, so we sent our Africa correspondent Paolo Buono there to compile an in-depth photographic essay on the real Swaziland.
Frankly, Buono disappointed us, and his work will no longer be appearing in the pages of this magazine. We should've sent McCurry, a safe pair of hands who knows how to make these off-the-grid destinations look like their travel brochures.
But we're stuck with Buono's dismal low-fidelity Swaziland essay; it was simply too late to send someone else. And we weren't entirely certain where Swaziland is anyway.
But we're stuck with Buono's dismal low-fidelity Swaziland essay; it was simply too late to send someone else. And we weren't entirely certain where Swaziland is anyway.
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| Paolo Buono is a street photographer without any streets. He uses low-fidelity gimmicks to distract attention from his limitations as a photographer. Immediately after he'd handed in this photo-essay, he was asked to clean out his desk. But there was nothing in it. |
