Thousands of
bare-breasted young Swazi women paraded in front of their king to
celebrate chastity and unity, dismissing criticism of the lavish
ceremony in one of Africa's poorest countries for its last absolute
monarch.
Clad in beaded mini-skirts and
clutching machetes and mobile phones, women and girls as young as five
danced and sang tributes on Sunday and Monday to the king and queen
mother, also known as the Great She-Elephant, in a traditional Umhlanga
Reed Dance meant to celebrate womanhood and virginity.
"I'm
proud to be Swazi and to be a virgin. We are here to show unity with
the king and with each other," said 18-year-old Gcebine Dlamini, bracing
the cold of the southern hemisphere's winter in her skimpy outfit as
scores of tourists had photos taken next to the topless women.
King
Mswati III, who has at least a dozen wives and a personal fortune
estimated at $200 million, faced unprecedented protests last year when
his appointed administration ran out of money after a 2009 recession in
neighbouring South Africa.
Despite
the straitened times, the royal household has shown few signs of wanting
to tighten its belt. In July, South Africa's Mail and Guardian
newspaper reported that three of Mswati's wives joined a 66-strong royal
entourage heading to Las Vegas on a shopping spree. There was no
comment from the palace.
But women
at the annual event gathered behind the monarch in the week-long
celebrations, even though police kept a close watch on what they might
tell journalists and tourists roaming the grounds of the royal village,
some 20 km (12 miles) outside the capital.
In the past, the king has used the ceremony to choose a new wife, and some girls still hoped to catch the king's eye.
"If
chosen, I would be able to live a better life than what I have, have a
lot of money, live a queen's life and travel overseas," said Fakazile
Dlamini, 14, who arrived on a lorry from her village 60 km away to
attend the ceremony.
New royal
wives have often received a BMW and their own palace, fuelling criticism
in a country where more than two-thirds of its 1.4 million people live
in abject poverty.
Women's groups
and political opponents also say Mswati's penchant for multiple young
brides ill befits a country with the world's highest rate of HIV/AIDS,
but the monarch says polygamy is part of Swazi tradition and helps
cement national unity.
Maidens
flocked in from across the country - some attend the ceremony every year
until they marry - cut reeds from river beds, which they then presented
to the queen mother in a mile-long singing and foot-stamping
procession.
In the past, they
would have been accommodated by families living close to the royal
household but are now put up in camps and protected by police from other
men.
Even though the girls refuse
to criticise UK-educated Mswati who arrived at the event dressed in
beads and lion cloth, not everyone supported his polygamous lifestyle.
"I
don't want to be a queen, I don't want to share my man. Polygamy is not
okay," Siphesihle Mdluli, 20, who hopes to go on to study medicine said
while waving her bundle of reeds.