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September 2, 2008 7:08 AM
By Phakamisa Ndzamela
LUDZIDZINI ROYAL VILLAGE, Swaziland - Tens of thousands of bare-breasted virgins competed for Swaziland King Mswati III's eye yesterday in a traditional Reed Dance.
Walking through the dense crowds in a leopard skin
loincloth, Sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch
was expected to choose his 14th wife.
Critics say Mswati, who has courted controversy for
his lavish lifestyle while two thirds of his subjects live
in poverty, sets a bad example by encouraging polygamy
and teenage sex in a country where about 40 per cent
of adults live with HIV.
Some of the women did not seem to mind, hoping to
escape from the southern African nation's hardships
for the easy life.
"I came here to dance. I wish the king would have chosen me
because it's nice at the king's place. The wives live a nice
life," said Tenene Dlamini, 16, in a traditional brown skirt.
"Everything is done for them. They don't work. They earn."
The Reed Dance has been a big date on the Swaziland
cultural calendar since Mswati began the ceremony in 1999.
But he may not be as relaxed this year among the throngs of
young half-naked women.
Political groups seeking democratic reforms have become
more active in a country where the opposition has been
effectively banned since 1973 by royal decree.
They are critical of plans to hold next weekend's
celebrations of the king's 40th birthday in conjunction with
the 40th anniversary of Swaziland's independence from Britain.
Still, some of Swaziland's women came to the Ludzidzini
Royal Village to show their admiration for the monarch.
"I respect the king and I respect my culture," said
Nontobeko Sdidlamini, 16, carrying a shield made of animal skin
and wearing an orange bracelet which read "Sex Can Wait."
Some said they would not want to be part of a polygamous
arrangement with the king and were taking part in the ceremony
to prove their virginity. Others fear they lost out.
"My sister is the king's tenth wife. I don't think he can
choose me because he has already chosen my sister," said
Zandisile Ntentesa, a 21-year-old prison employee.
The king, flanked by bodyguards with pistols and sticks,
may face pressure from emboldened critics. But he can take
comfort from the wealth which wins him tributes and songs at
the reed ceremony.
Last month, Forbes magazine listed him as the 15th-richest
monarch in the world. He was the only African on the list.
During the reed festivities, one of the king's wives drove
up in a fancy BMW. Policemen told people to look the other way.
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