King made his declaration to a crowded stadium in Manzini, noting the name change is intended to shed vestiges of the country’s colonial past. For much of the 20th century, the tiny, landlocked nation was under British administration, only gaining its independence in a nonviolent transfer of power in 1968.
“African countries on getting independence reverted to their ancient names before they were colonised,” he told the crowd, according to Agence France-Presse. “So from now on, the country will be officially be known as the Kingdom of eSwatini.”
As the news service notes, eSwatini means “place of the Swazi” in the Swazi language — effectively the same meaning as its predecessor, except without relying on the mashup of Swazi and English that composes the name Swaziland.
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