Swazi King Mswati III and his first daughter princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini of Swaziland
Despite the massive criticism, the Swazi King Mswati III, 45 has chosen 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant Sindiswa Dlamini as his 15th wife.
Dlamini was selected at the annual Reed Dance, where thousands of Swazi maidens dance bare-breasted for the king’s pleasure. “I wish to confirm we have a new liphovela (royal fiancée),” Hlangabeza Mdluli, the overseer of the maidens, announced.
Dlamini was presented to the king and the Swazi people at a Reed Dance in the southern provincial capital, Nhlangano, on Saturday. The Reed Dance is a traditional opportunity for Swaziland's maidens to pay tribute to the Queen Mother. Although the King has used the occasion to choose wives a few times, the ceremony is not about him primarily. The king's own children partake in this event.
The annual Umhlanga (Reed) Dance is an assembly of about 20,000 young maidens (which reached 80 000 in 2012 ) and led by Inkhosatana Sikhanyiso Sikhanyiso Dlamini. They bring tall (4 m) reeds to present to the Queen Mother. These reeds are then used to build windbreaks around the Queen Mother's residence. The Reed Dance usually lasts for a week and the king attends only the last day as a sign of respect to his mother. He also uses the occasion to thank the young girls who have traveled long distances to attend the event by slaughtering cattle and presenting them with a feast before they return home. The event held in central Swaziland last month.
The King's daughter leading the virgins at the contest
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