Swazi Prince in Taiwan
Prince Buhlebenkhosi Dlamini of Swaziland dances with Taiwanese Amis Aboriginal dancers on April 29 in New Taipei City.
Prince Buhlebenkhosi Dlamini, 22, is one out of 35 children of Swaziland’s reigning King Mswati III, but he is seen as the most hopeful candidate for the throne. When Dlamini was attending senior high school in the UK and was considering his university options, King Mswati III reckoned that Chinese was important, so he decided to have him study in a Taiwanese university. When Shih Chien University introduced its international business administration program to the prince, the school stressed that it would make him a brilliant international business administration professional and an outstanding national leader. This impressed the prince deeply and the school was his eventual choice.
Dlamini’s instructor Chen Ying-feng says Dlamini is a very easygoing person who not only does not have a prince’s haughty attitude but is happy to take part in the school’s service learning program to provide service to communities outside the school. He has taken part numerous times in international cultural learning activities organized by junior high schools and elementary schools, during which he was able to have a good time playing with the children. Chen accompanied the prince on his trip back to Swaziland for a short visit during the school’s winter vacation, during which they collected pictures and written information about the country. The school plans to write Chinese-language books about Swaziland’s history and culture in order to improve Taiwanese people’s understanding of Swaziland.
Chen says Shih Chien University is very fortunate to have the prince studying there and is glad to take on the responsibility of promoting the diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Swaziland. There are at present roughly 200 students from Swaziland studying in Taiwan. Shih Chien University says it will fulfill its educational responsibility and equip the prince with professional and international perspectives, making him a great candidate for the throne.