Film series to showcase the beauty of Swaziland

Mbabane - The beauty of Swaziland is set to be on the radar internationally. This follows the pioneering of a project that aims to showcase the untold stories of Swaziland. Destination Swaziland, the brainchild of multimedia production house, Imphindza Productions has already taken root on the social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

"In just over seven weeks, we have been pleasantly surprised by the support from people and  generous comments; as it is we have more than 10 000 ‘likes'on Facebook," said Siphephile Sibanyoni, Producer of Destination Swaziland.

Sibanyoni says the motivation behind Destination Swaziland is to share the great side of Swaziland and Africa that is often snubbed by the international media.

"We have drawn personalities from diverse backgrounds that, through them, we will get to learn more about Swaziland's magnificent terrain, people, culture and tradition.

"All this will mount into a rich story of Swaziland," said Sibanyoni, an accomplished photographer in her own right.

Destination Swaziland will present the narrative in various multimedia platforms, but chiefly in film. The project will culminate into a 13 part film series. Each episode is headlined by a personality who will take viewers to a particular place in the country, depicting the richness of Swaziland's heritage and culture.

"Our first season has among others, people like musician Sandziso, current Miss Swaziland, Samukelisiwe Magagula, anthropologist Mlungisi Dlamini, fashion designer and businessperson Khulekani Msweli, " said Davison Mudzingwa, director of the film series. "We will present these beautiful stories with the visual excellence they deserve."

Destination Swaziland aims to reveal the rich treasure of Swaziland stories; get people internationally and locally to travel in the country.

"We are hoping that the whole country embraces this campaign, take collective ownership of it and tell our own stories. Corporate companies in the Kingdom are urged to support this project with resources and all those on internet to follow our Facebook and Twitter pages. It's all our responsibility to make this Swaziland narrative a success."

In its short time of existence, Destination Swaziland has already seen the potential of its contribution to the tourism sector and country's gross domestic product (GDP). Sibanyoni says their Facebook page has been inundated with enquiries from interested people who have expressed willingness in visiting the country on holiday, with some planning to open businesses.

Locally, the campaign will also empower young people studying media to develop their skills through internships. Regionally, Imphindza Productions aims to spark a wave of Africans telling their won stories.