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Article In:
Naming and Labelling Contexts of Cultural Importance in Africa
Edited by Nico Nassenstein, Sambulo Ndlovu and Svenja Völkel
[International Journal of Language and Culture 10:2] 2023
► pp. 191–208

The dialectics of sport and history

Commemorative naming of selected stadia in the Kingdom of Eswatini

| University of South Africa
| University of Eswatini

This article explores the link between sport and history. It engages the linguistic landscaping and etymological analysis approaches to trace the origins of the names of stadia and their socio-historical significance. In-depth interviews and document analysis are used in the examination of five names of stadia: Somhlolo National Stadium, Mavuso Trade Centre Stadium, King Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium, Prince Wales Stadium, and Simunye Park Stadium. The findings show that the names of these stadia are a heritage, as past history and heroes are commemorated through them. Moreover, these self-given names, most of which are in the Swati indigenous language, make sense in the context of decoloniality theory. These observations have implications for further research as well as for onomastics.

Keywords: sport, history, commemorative naming, stadia, Eswatini, linguistic landscaping, etymology, decoloniality
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1History of the Kingdom of Eswatini
    • 1.2Commemorative naming
    • 1.3The value of sport and commemorative naming in sport outside Eswatini
    • 1.4African history and onomastics
    • 1.5Types of stadia
  • 2.Methodology, approaches, and theory
  • 3.Findings
    • 3.1Names of stadia as heritage
      • 3.1.1Somhlolo National Stadium
      • 3.1.2Simunye Park Stadium
      • 3.1.3Mavuso Sports Centre Stadium
      • 3.1.4King Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium
      • 3.1.5Prince of Wales Stadium
  • 4.Names of stadia in the context of decoloniality
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
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