| Looks like he's smiling in that pic ... |
Swazilandâs maidens have forsaken their tassles and the âumchwashoâ chastity pledge ahead of the annual reed dance ceremony where the king is expected to choose yet another new bride. âWe are happy that we are through with this and I am very proud that I have been faithful to this rite,â said Ntombi Dlamini, as the ânational flowersâ (maidens) tossed their tassles on a large heap at the Queen Motherâs royal residence in Ludzidzini, in central Swaziland. âI have abstained for the past five years,â the 19-year-old woman told AFP.
| "Lookout boys, here I come!" |
Introduced by King Mswati III in September 2001, the rite was aimed at reducing the spread of HIV and Aids in a country wedged between South Africa and Mozambique, and with the worldâs highest infection rate, where close to 40 per cent of adults live with the disease.
Breaching the chastity vow before marriage was punishable and any person who violated a maiden was fined one cow, or around 1,300 emalangeni (200 dollars). But the practice had been attacked by social workers who said it was ineffective. Mswati himself breached the ban and was fined a cow for picking a teenaged girl as his ninth wife.
Parents of young Swazi men said they were also glad to see the end of umchwasho, which they said left them impoverished as they had to help their sons pay for their transgressions. The annual reed dance, where bare-breasted maidens perform before the king, will start on August 28 and last for two days.
| As a 14 year old, that was one of the best parts of the movie Zulu. |