Thousands of people gathered in the small kingdom of Swaziland on September 21st for the first public talks on the country's long-awaited new Constitution. Swaziland was expected to adopt the Constitution before the end of the month, but pro-democracy groups have said the document - which has been in the making since 1996 - did not curb the powers of King Mswati III, but rather strengthened his hold on the poor southern African nation.