Umhlanga reed dance a cultural spectacle

THALEFANG CHARLES
Correspondent | Friday September 3, 2010 00:00

 

Umhlanga is Swaziland's annual cultural event where virgins come and present the reed to Swaziland's Queen Mother, Indlovukazi and an occasion that the King unveils his new fiancee.

The week-long event started on August 24 and ended with a colourful closing ceremony on August 30 as record numbers of maidens dressed in Swaziland's traditional attire danced to a crowd of over 2,000 spectators, which included Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Malawi's Bingu wa Mutharika.

The event, which has attracted controversy in the past in most of the foreign media, is the pride of Swaziland.  Despite their abject poverty, most people of this minute mountainous kingdom are amazingly proud of their culture.  Swaziland's deep and rich culture has become what diamonds are to Botswana.  The Swaziland Tourism Board with a phrase 'royal experience' sell their culture as the main attraction to any visitor to the kingdom.

In an interview with Arts & Culture, the Swaziland Tourism Board Information officer, Bobo Dlamini, explained the process of this remarkable cultural ceremony.  'It's not about the King choosing a wife and it is not about topless virgins parading before the King just like you foreign media make people believe,' stated Dlamini.  She said Umhlanga is about presenting the reed to the Queen Mother and it is used as an event that the King announces his fiance to the public.  'He could have met her in January or whenever but it's custom for him to reveal her during the Umlhanga,' explained Dlamini.  The reed is used to fence the Queen Mother's royal residence.

Every year after the date of the event is announced, which is normally during school holidays, young women from all over Swaziland and beyond her borders converge on the royal residence in Ludzidzini for registration on day one of the event.

'Virginity is paramount requirement for participation because it is considered taboo for the reed to be cut by an impure woman,' said Dlamini.  On the second day the virgins are transported to temporary camps at places where they cut the reed on day three.  After cutting the reed on day three, the maidens are ferried, while some walk holding their reed, back to Ludzidzini royal residence.  Day five is a rest day and it is also used to educate the girls on different life issues like health, careers and family planning.  Different organisations are invited to impart life skills to thousands of maidens.  It is on day six when the maidens parade to the Queen Mother residence to deliver the reed.  They come dressed in traditional attire; bright short beaded skirts (mostly with nothing underneath) with colourful sashes revealing their bare breasts.  They march in troops singing songs that celebrate their virginity and praise the Queen Mother and the King.  The parade is led by the maidens from the royal house identified with pinned red feathers in their hair.  After delivering the reed the maidens march to the arena used for the occasion where they would dance as the preview of Day seven.  The last day - day seven - maidens assemble at the arena and dance 'to celebrate their virginity'.  The sixth and seventh days are the greatest cultural spectacle that attracts tourists from all over the world.  It is also on day seven that the King normally announces his new fiance. King Mswati III, now on wife number 13 did not unveil any new fiance.  The event was attended by heads of states that were in Swaziland for the 2010 COMESA Summit.