Posted on 09/10/2002 6:06:28 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
ENYOKENI PALACE, South Africa (Reuters) - Thousands of bare-breasted Zulu girls paraded outside the palace of their king as part of an ancient wife-choosing ceremony this weekend, and were told to stay virgins to keep them safe from AIDS.
The Royal Reed Dance was once a chance for the head of South Africa's largest tribe to pick new wives from his assembled subjects, but lately King Goodwill Zwelithini has used the occasion to address his subjects on morality and development.
His shoulders draped with the skin of a leopard, Zwelithini called on around 2,000 Zulu maidens on Saturday to abstain from pre-marital sex and to use contraception to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS among his people.
"Today we are facing a war against AIDS," the king said, after a royal praise-caller had introduced him with a shouted litany of his and his ancestors' great deeds.
"I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my appeal to young people, male and female, to abstain from sex until they get married or until they decide to raise their families," he said. The ceremony continues on Sunday.
One in nine of South Africa's population of around 43 million carries the HIV virus, making it one of the worst affected country's in the world.
The highest HIV infection rate in the country is in the mostly-Zulu state of Kwazulu-Natal, where more than a third of the population is believed to be infected.
Zwelithini, who counts among his ancestors the great Zulu nation-builder Shaka, and Dingane, who fought the British army in the nineteenth century, called for a revival of the traditions and culture of the tribe, once the most powerful in Southern Africa.
The king is the titular ruler of the six million-strong tribe. His uncle, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, claims the post of traditional prime minister, and leads the opposition Inkatha party to represent the Zulus in national politics.
Buthelezi was not at the ceremony.
Girls, mostly aged between 10 and 18, carried five-meter (15-foot) reeds from the Umfolozi river to the Enyokeni Royal Palace where they are used to line the fence surrounding the royal compound.
Dressed in beads and colored skirts or loin cloths, the girls danced and sang songs in praise of their king and sexual abstinence.
"These maidens that are sitting here, all of them are virgins. I think the whole nation should be proud of that," Zwelithini said, leaning over a leopard skin-covered lectern.
The spread of HIV/AIDS and other associated problems, such as drug-taking and promiscuity, reinforced the need for traditional values and unity, Zwelithini said.
He added the ceremony was no longer arranged to facilitate his future nuptials, but was a chance for the young women of the Zulu nation to greet their king.
Zwelithini, who celebrated three decades of power this year, also called on Africans to launch a drive for self-sufficiency and stand on their own feet independent of foreign aid.
He said farmers should grow more crops to produce both money and food, and drive away a threat of famine that currently hangs over much of Southern Africa.
"It is high time African leaders realized that their countries cannot rely indefinitely on aid," he said.
Nomagugu Ngobese, a mother and traditional virginity tester who brought a bus load of girls to Enyokeni from Durban, said the ceremony played a role in emancipating young girls from traditional roles.
Far from reinforcing stereotyped subjugation, the parade raised girls' self esteem and enabled them to make their own choices in life, she said.
"We are expecting (them to become) teachers...we are expecting ministers," Ngobese said. "We are teaching them to abstain from sex...we teach them to have that self esteem. Sex is not the only way to live.
"The reed dance is one of the most important festivals in our culture as Zulus. It helps girls come together and get that sense of belonging," she said.
There's a lot of good quotes such as:
Nomagugu Ngobese, a mother and traditional virginity tester...
That must be an inspiring job. :)
The king is the titular ruler of the six million-strong tribe.
Am I supposed to believe that Toby Reynolds, the reporter who wrote this story, used that term simply by coincidence?
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Well they wouldn't let me sign up to be the Official Thong Tester in San Diego schools, so how do I apply for this post ("Traditional virginity tester")?
--Boris
Just kidding. (Sorta.)
Remaining virgins and abstaining is admirable, of course. But beyond that, how pathetic is this silliness in the 21st century. These people are in dire need of being the targets of some good old colonialism and conversion to Christianity. Seeing sh*t like this makes you realize the importance and benefit of the spread of Western values through colonialism.
People used to feel SORRY for such backward waste of human life. Now I guess it is viewed as quaint and normal.
Meek, cyni, you might not want to miss this one.
See Post #6 above.
Boris, it's supposed to be nondestructive testing.
The spread of HIV/AIDS and other associated problems, such as drug-taking and promiscuity, reinforced the need for traditional values and unity, Zwelithini said.
Zwelithini, who celebrated three decades of power this year, also called on Africans to launch a drive for self-sufficiency and stand on their own feet independent of foreign aid.
He said farmers should grow more crops to produce both money and food, and drive away a threat of famine that currently hangs over much of Southern Africa.
"It is high time African leaders realized that their countries cannot rely indefinitely on aid," he said.
Being a gentleman, I have nothing to say. No comment.
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