August 30, 2005
Thousands of topless virgins vie to become wife of Swaziland's king
In a surreal scene, more than 50,000 topless virgins participated in a contest to see who would be chosen as the 13th wife of Swaziland's 37 year-old king this week.
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.As opposed to working to cut the instances of HIV, this guy takes multiple wives.Wielding machetes and singing tributes to the king and queen mother, also known as the Great She-Elephant, the girls danced around the royal stadium in the hope of catching the eye of the 37-year-old monarch.
Critics say Mswati, who has courted controversy for his lavish lifestyle while two thirds of his subjects live in abject poverty, sets a bad example by encouraging polygamy and teenage sex in a country where 40 percent of adults live with HIV.
Just damn.
Posted by mhking at August 30, 2005 12:21 PM | TrackBackOne could say that he is cutting his risk of HIV.
Posted by: B.P. at August 30, 2005 02:47 PMHe's cutting SOMETHING all right...
Posted by: Michael at August 30, 2005 02:50 PMMaybe he's doing a service by keeping 13 women from acquiring and retransmitting the disease to countless males who would pass it on to countless females.
Posted by: The Owner's Manual at August 30, 2005 03:32 PM