Umhlanga: The Reed Dance

Like I said on my last post, I have been out of the country. My trip out of Swaziland happened to coincide with one of the busiest weekends of the year: the Swaziland International Trade Fair, the 2010 Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit and the Annual Reed Dance were all held over the weekend of the 28th August. The Reed Dance is a traditional three day event which involves 'maidens' walking overnight to collect reeds for presentation before the king. After rows upon rows of girls present themselves before the king, by dancing in their traditional attire, the King traditionally takes another wife at the dance.

For me, being out of the country was good timing. Watching an estimated 80,000 girls parade in front of the king in nothing except a slither of material around the waste and scarf band ornaments around their neck, is not something that I can reconcile with my belief systems. Thinking about the whole situation makes me uncomfortable, it is no coincidence that it has taken me two weeks to write about it (and I wasn't even in attendance). My friend who unlike myself had the courage to attend the event, was left with a sense of there being a overwhelming number of body parts on display and a huge concern for the vulnerable situation that the girls are placed in. The vulnerabillity is no joke: 80,000 girls un-supervised for three days, in very little clothing, with only a handle of male Tindvuna (guardians) to watch them. But as one Tindvuna reassured the 'Times of Swaziland,'(Page 11, Wednesday, September 1st 2010, 'Taking Care of the Imbali is Our Duty, We Enjoy It'):

The maidens are under control this years as compared to the past years where they would run away to consume alcohol and become scandalous.

The COMESA summit and the Reed dance being on the same weekend provided a happy chance for African heads of state to gather to witness this 'cultural event.' Within Swaziland there was no negative coverage or even insightful discussion about what the event means for girls growing up with such a patriarchal practice. In the Zimbabwe news one activist with a children's organisation reports on the practice of raping virgin girls in the belief that it will cure a HIV/AIDS infection and recognises that it was

disheartening that heads of state – who were better positioned to spearhead perception change in society – would gather to “feast on naked young women under the ruse of upholding culture”.

For full story see here. Article courtesy of Swazi Media Commentary.

I have read widely and spoken to a lot of people to get a sense of the reed dance event. After all, at the end of the day, I was not in attendance. Perhaps watching the girls bonding at the event would present me with a different view of the world and other cultures. For now I let my thoughts on the dance be guided by the words of President Mugabe, one of the COMESA dignitaries in attendance at the event who said of the event (The Times of Swaziland, 'President Mugabe Praises Umhlanga,' pg 2, Wednesday, September 1st, 2010):

I wish all other countries were like this and there is no other country which has this kind of a cultural activity where the future wives to husbands are groomed and taught in such a manner.