The Swaziland Oral History Project (SOHP) is a research and archival initiative established in 1985 at the National Archives in Lobamba, Eswatini. [1] It was established to collect, preserve, transcribe and translate oral histories, clan genealogies and testimonies of Swazi elders, with particular attention to the precolonial history of the Swazi kingdom. [2] It was developed through cooperation between Swazi archivists and elders and professional historians, notably Carolyn Hamilton and Philip Bonner. [3]
| Abbreviation | SOHP |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1985 |
| Type | Archival oral-history research project |
| Purpose | Collection and preservation of oral histories, clan genealogies and precolonial history of Swaziland (Eswatini) |
| Headquarters | Eswatini National Archives in Lobamba, Eswatini, University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa |
Region served | Swaziland ( now Eswatini) |
Official language | |
Lead Researcher | Philip Bonner, Carolyn Hamilton (historian) [2] |
The SOHP materials were also transferred to the Historical Papers Research Archive at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa where Bonner was head. [4] [5] Swazi archivists and researchers, including Isaac Dlamini and Dumisa Dlamini, played a central role in the fieldwork and collection of testimonies and the establishment of the SOHP. [6]
The history of Swaziland stretches back thousands of years, but it was only in the mid-1800s, with the arrival of the first European traders, that events began to be recorded in writing. [1]
Little is known about the earlier periods because written evidence is scarce, however, historians have uncovered a wealth of information about these earlier times by drawing on other forms of evidence, particularly oral traditions and physical artifacts. [7] The SOHP was established to systematically collect, transcribe, translate and archive oral testimonies from elders. [1]