ABSTRACT
The culture of each society is a whole greater than the sum of isolated traits. The Swazi culture offers certain strong contrasts with our own and with other cultures. Thus while individualism and ambition are curbed, people who claim to be possessed by spirits and who would be regarded by us as neurotics are regarded as blessed by the ancestors and singled out for special dignities. The Swazi mother's tender affection towards her own babe does not eliminate hatred and jealousy of the children of a rival for her husband's love; the restraint imposed on ambition by the age-grade system is accompanied by self-display among contemporaries. The Swazi can be compared with other societies both morphologically, and from the angle of orientation. Such comparison has not yet been attempted for Africa, over which vast continent are scattered hundreds of tribes, each with its distinctive structure and interests.
