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Topless virgins vie for Swaziland's king

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In the Royal Village of SwazilandMore than 50,000 bare-breasted virgins vied to become the King of Swaziland�s 13th wife on Monday in a ceremony which critics say ill befits a country with the world�s highest HIV/AIDS rate.

King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa�s last absolute monarch, arrived dressed in a leopard-skin loincloth to watch the Reed Dance ceremony, which he has used since 1999 to pluck new brides from the girls dressed in little more than beaded mini-skirts.

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{ 4 } Comments

  1. hareega | August 30, 2005 at 1:12 pm | Permalink

    and doesn't the king of swazilad have a video camera to tape the event???????????

  2. john | September 1, 2005 at 11:48 am | Permalink

    Put pictures of the girls!

  3. Bandile Khoza | March 14, 2006 at 4:16 pm | Permalink

    Hi my brother.

    Your comments are based on inaccurate information. What you said is far from the truth.

    As a liberal Swazi, there are some customs I agree with and some that rub me the wrong way. I would prefer that you conduct a bit more research about Swaziland and about the Reed Dance ceremony.

    I have provided my e-mail and ask that you contact me so that I send you detailed information which you can verify from more knowledgeable authorities.

    Let us talk.

    P.S. Swaziland is not a village. It is a modern country with 1 million citizens. I personally invite you to my country to see it. August is a good time to come. The Reed Dance is held at about this time

  4. Steve Nnamdi | May 12, 2006 at 2:41 pm | Permalink

    Hello Bandile, please send me pictures of this event and analysis.
    Also, i would like to know what the cost of a vacation will be (average) in your country for abour a week. I have not tried to locate your embassy here in my country (Nigeria), but i know there must be a lot of my compatriots living and working in your country.
    I am a university graduate working in a commercial bank in Abuja. If it's as interesting (and hopefully affordable) as it sounds, i may apply for my vacation to coincide with the event.
    I would like to reach you more frequently.
    Steve
    234-8037139186
    stevennamdi@yahoo.com