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Swazi women dance to catch king's eye
CNN ^
| Monday, August 29, 2005
| Reuters
Posted on 08/29/2005 8:02:33 PM PDT by F14 Pilot
Swaziland (Reuters) -- More than 50,000 bare-breasted virgins vied to become the king of Swaziland's 13th wife Monday 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, is due to attend the annual Reed Dance ceremony, which he has used since 1999 to pluck new brides from thousands of dancing girls dressed in little more than beads and traditional skirts.
Clad in short beaded skirts and colorful tasseled scarves and carrying machetes, the girls sang tributes to the king while marching around the royal stadium flanked by male minders dressed in animal skin loincloths.
"I want to live a nice life, have money, be rich, have a BMW and cell phone," said one dancer, 16-year-old Zodwa Mamba. "But the king will not choose me, I am too ugly."
Critics say Mswati, who has courted 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 percent of adults live with HIV.
And 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," Mario Masuku, leader of the banned opposition party, told Reuters.
"The king has a passion for young women and opulence."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: africa; aids; awful; health; help; hiv; idiots; poor; royal; slavery; swazi; virgins
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1
posted on
08/29/2005 8:02:49 PM PDT
by
F14 Pilot
To: F14 Pilot
Third thread about this today. I imagine there are many freeper men going 'It's good to be the king!' ;-)
2
posted on
08/29/2005 8:03:41 PM PDT
by
cyborg
(I'm having the best day ever.)
To: cyborg
Yeah, and the others were pulled for not being "suitable Freeper content"
3
posted on
08/29/2005 8:04:27 PM PDT
by
zahal724
(We use words to describe things. If it confuses you I suggest a Dictionary.)
To: cyborg
4
posted on
08/29/2005 8:04:46 PM PDT
by
F14 Pilot
(Democracy is a process not a product)
To: F14 Pilot
"Give me one good reason to look at 50,000 bare-breasted virgins."
"I can give you 100,000 of them."
5
posted on
08/29/2005 8:04:49 PM PDT
by
Publius
To: zahal724
Ah some let their imaginations run away too much!
6
posted on
08/29/2005 8:05:05 PM PDT
by
cyborg
(I'm having the best day ever.)
To: F14 Pilot
In other news, Bill Clinton has reportedly booked a flight to Swaziland...
7
posted on
08/29/2005 8:05:43 PM PDT
by
RockinRight
(What part of ILLEGAL immigration do they not understand?)
To: F14 Pilot
"But the king will not choose me, I am too ugly." So said Cindy Sheehan to Martin Sheehan-Sheen.
8
posted on
08/29/2005 8:07:10 PM PDT
by
Cobra64
To: cyborg
It's good to be king!
9
posted on
08/29/2005 8:10:09 PM PDT
by
COEXERJ145
(Cindy Sheehan, Pat Buchanan, John Conyers, and David Duke Are Just Different Sides of the Same Coin.)
To: F14 Pilot
What? I got to go to National Geographic for photos?
10
posted on
08/29/2005 8:10:11 PM PDT
by
fish hawk
(I am only one, but I am not the only one.)
To: cyborg
Was this event arranged by eHarmony and the "dr." that supposedly runs it?
11
posted on
08/29/2005 8:10:32 PM PDT
by
nickcarraway
(I'm Only Alive, Because a Judge Hasn't Ruled I Should Die...)
To: COEXERJ145
12
posted on
08/29/2005 8:10:58 PM PDT
by
cyborg
(I'm having the best day ever.)
To: F14 Pilot
"50,000 bare-breasted virgins vied to become the king of Swaziland's 13th wife."
This thirteenth wife must be something special to have 50,000 bare breasted virgins wanting to become her king.
13
posted on
08/29/2005 8:11:15 PM PDT
by
NavVet
(“Benedict Arnold was wounded in battle fighting for America, but no one remembers him for that.”)
To: nickcarraway
14
posted on
08/29/2005 8:11:28 PM PDT
by
cyborg
(I'm having the best day ever.)
To: F14 Pilot
Isn't Feminism wonderful? The Male oppressor strikes again.
15
posted on
08/29/2005 8:11:32 PM PDT
by
Little Bill
(A 37%'r, a Red Spot on a Blue State, rats are evil.)
To: Cobra64
16
posted on
08/29/2005 8:11:34 PM PDT
by
bitt
('But once the shooting starts, a plan is just a guess in a party dress.' Michael Yon)
To: Cobra64
"It's GOOD to be the king!"
17
posted on
08/29/2005 8:11:56 PM PDT
by
ZOOKER
( <== I'm with Stupid...)
To: F14 Pilot
"Swaziland (Reuters) -- More than 50,000 bare-breasted virgins vied to… " The reporter has a flare for opening sentences.
18
posted on
08/29/2005 8:12:06 PM PDT
by
elfman2
(2 tacos short of a combination plate)
To: zahal724
It's sad when we can't discuss a story that is in all the MSM print and electronic publications. However, FR is a privately owned forum and its content can be censored by the owner.
To: F14 Pilot
This story is a good indication that Africa will always be Africa... at least for the time being.
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