Eswatini: Swaziland's Sinister Reed Dance

opinion

Rehearsals for this year's Reed Dance in Swaziland have started and the maidens who dance bare-breasted in front of King Mswati III have been told by organisers they must wear short skirts.

The Reed Dance or Umhlanga is an annual event in which tens of thousands of 'maidens', some as young as ten, dance for the pleasure of the King. It is widely reported within Swaziland that the dancers are 'virgins'.

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