[ppi] [ppiindia] Naked ambition of Swazi girls

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Naked ambition of Swazi girls
Reuters
August 31, 2005 
LOBAMBA: More than 50,000 bare-breasted virgins have vied tobecome the 13th 
wife of theKing of Swaziland in a ceremony that critics say ill befits a 
country with the world's highest HIV/AIDS rate.

King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, arrived dressed in 
a leopard-skin loincloth to watch the Reed Dance ceremony, which he has used 
since 1999 to pluck new brides from the girls, who are dressed in little more 
than beaded mini-skirts. 

Wielding machetes and singing tributes to the king and queen mother, also known 
as the Great She-Elephant, the girls danced around the royal stadium in the 
hope of catching the eye of the 37-year-old monarch. 

"I want to live a nice life, have money, be rich, have a BMW and cellphone," 
said one dancer, 16-year-old Zodwa Mamba, who wore a traditional brightly 
coloured tasselled scarf. 

Critics say Mswati, who has faced controversy for his lavish lifestyle while 
two-thirds of his subjects live in abject poverty, sets a bad example by 
encouraging polygamy and teenage sex in a country where 40 per cent of the 
adults have HIV. 

     
     
       
      
     
     


Some say the Reed Dance, traditionally meant to celebrate womanhood and 
virginity, has become little more than a showcase for the king's young would-be 
brides. 

"The Reed Dance has been abused for one man's personal satisfaction," said 
Mario Masuku, leader of the banned opposition party. "The king has a passion 
for young women and opulence." 

But many Swazis say the young monarch has a right to do as he pleases, 
defending his penchant for young brides as a Swazi tradition and arguing that 
ceremonies such as the Reed Dance cement national identity. 

Many girls, who come from villages across the country, dream of joining the 
king's wives, who each have their own palace and BMW car. 

The ceremony was the culmination of a week of preparations, which included the 
lifting of a royal ban on sex with virgins, decreed in 2001 to help rein in 
HIV. 





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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