#Other countries : The sun rises over the hills of Nongoma, birthplace of the Zulu nation, in South Africa. Young women bathe in the cool water of a river: bare-breasted and equipped with a reed stem, they must present themselves to the king on Saturday.
The tradition is centuries old in the Zulu culture. Every September, which marks the start of spring in the southern African country, thousands of young girls take part in the “reed dance” in KwaZulu-Natal, the country’s southeastern province open to the ocean. Indian.
The country has 11 million Zulus, almost one in five South Africans.
The rite once allowed the king of the largest ethnic group in the country to choose his wives. This rule is no longer automatically applied today, but the celebration, interrupted for a time due to the Covid pandemic, continues.
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Amahle Shange, 16, shivers slightly. With her feet in the shallow stream, she throws water on her back. Before presenting themselves to the king, the young girls observe this rite of “purification” of their bodies. Further on, other young women splash each other, they sing happily.
“I can’t believe this is finally happening,” Amahle Shange, who is taking part in the dance for the first time, told AFP. “I used to see the older girls going to the +Umhlanga+ (reed, in Zulu) and I was so curious,” she said as she walked away with her friends.
Coming from all over the country, the young girls arrived the evening before in convoys of white buses. Each group is under the authority of a chaperone, an older woman.
“There are among these young girls teachers, engineers. They drive cars, are lawyers. It is far from what those who say that our culture is outdated think,” assures AFP Dr. Nomagugu Ngobese, who practices traditional medicine and will conduct tests.
– Raised to the sky –
Before presenting themselves to the king, young girls are examined: only virgins can participate in the rite. Legend has it that if the young girl is no longer a virgin, the reed presented to the king will not remain raised to the sky.
The centuries-old tradition is sometimes controversial but religiously respected in the country. Rights advocates say virginity testing is a violation of privacy and a degrading act for young girls. Once suppressed, the “reed dance” was reinstated by the former king, Goodwill Zwelithini, in 1984.
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On Saturday the girls will present themselves to his successor, MisuZulu kwaZwelithini, traditionally crowned last month following the death of his father, but whose legitimacy is disputed.
The 47-year-old ruler, born to the late king’s favorite and third wife, has been recognized by President Cyril Ramaphosa. He already has two wives and at least four children.
Goodwill Zwelithini’s first wife challenged the estate in court, which was dismissed.
His eldest son, Prince Simakade, born out of wedlock, filed an urgent appeal this week claiming to be the legitimate heir.
Brothers of Goodwill Zwelithini also claimed the throne for another candidate they chose.
In the young democracy with eleven official languages, the sovereigns and traditional chiefs are recognized by the Constitution. Kings without executive power, they wield great moral authority and are deeply respected.
Nongoma was under heavy surveillance by police and private security guards on Saturday. Opponents of the king have issued threats and predicted a “bloodbath” if the “reed dance” is maintained.
The sun is high in the sky when the young girls reach large white tents. Once adorned with necklaces of colored pearls, they will each pick a stalk of reed before going up to the royal palace of Enyokeni, to meet the king.